HP and Home Dialysis Plus sign licensing agreement

Under the agreement, Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) will license its intellectual property to Home Dialysis Plus (HD+) in return for royalty payments. HD+ will develop, manufacture and sell the product, which the company expects to be commercially available worldwide by the end of 2010.

Using HP’s patented inkjet technology, HD+ plans to develop a portable, cost-effective dialysis system that allows patients to experience the benefits of nightly nocturnal dialysis in the privacy of their own homes.

HP’s inkjet technology will be used within HD+’s dialysis machine proportioning system to mix the correct amount of water and concentrated dialysate (a salt and electrolyte solution) in real time, and pump the dialysis solution into the dialyzer. In addition, HP’s smart memory chip technology will be used to ensure that the correct dialysate prescription is being delivered consistently so dialysis can take place while the patient is sleeping.

These technological advances are expected to afford patients a slower and more accurate nocturnal dialysis treatment that is more in tune with the body’s natural biological processes and that will dramatically reduce a patient’s post-treatment recovery time from hours to minutes.

The technology is also expected to offer a significantly smaller and easier-to-use option for portable and flexible care of dialysis needs at any location with access to a water source. The cost of implementing the HD+ system also is expected to be much lower than the cost of shipping prepackaged dialysate solutions.

Michael Baker, CEO of Home Dialysis Plus, said: “With an increasing emphasis on home healthcare as a more cost-effective and efficient alternative, the new home dialysis machine will be a true breakthrough. HP technology is critical to creating a unique patient experience that will offer ease of use and improved patient outcomes and life expectancy.”