Ansell Wins Major U.S. Surgical Glove Contract

    MELBOURNE, Australia, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Ansell, the New Jersey
 US-based division of Australia's Pacific Dunlop Limited, has won a major
 two-year surgical glove supply contract with Tenet HealthSystem Inc., the
 second largest private hospital chain in the U.S.
     Ansell was recently awarded the contract with Tenet, which owns more than
 140 acute care hospitals and has 260 affiliates that have access to Tenet's
 national "BuyPower" purchasing agreements.
     Ansell replaces London International's Regent as one of two suppliers to
 Tenet.  The other supplier is Allegiance.
     Total annual surgical glove purchases by Tenet hospitals are estimated to
 be US$6 million, which includes approximately US$1.2 million in powder-free
 gloves and nearly US$300,000 of non-latex surgical gloves.
     The Managing Director of Ansell, Mr. Harry Boon, said he expected Ansell
 would sell US$2 million in the first year of the contract, growing to
 US$3 million in the second year, nearly all of it new sales.
     Mr. Boon said before the contract was awarded, Ansell had only a small
 annual orthopaedic glove agreement worth US$180,000.
     "The decision to select Ansell was based upon clinical preference,
 reputation for service and the probability of success over the life of the
 contract," he said.
     "We are delighted to be working with Tenet, which has a first-class
 reputation for quality and innovation in health care."
 
     Ansell Perry, the medical glove business unit of Ansell in the United
 States, will sell the product through its distributor, McKesson General
 Medical.
 
 

SOURCE  Ansell