Vestagen Obtains Worldwide Rights to Schoeller Technologies Underlying Key Properties of its Vestex® Protective Healthcare Uniforms

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Vestagen Technical Textiles, Inc., today announced that it has obtained worldwide rights from Schoeller Technologies AG to certain technologies that are integral to the unique properties of Vestex^®, the first of its families of active barrier protective fabrics that are clinically proven to prevent or reduce the acquisition and retention of microbes and other contaminants.

Vestex fabrics are engineered to have robust liquid repellency and embedded antimicrobial properties, along with enhanced breathability and comfort. The company's initial focus is on medical scrubs and other protective apparel for healthcare workers, who are at daily risk of exposure to dangerous contaminants that can then be spread by their uniforms to patients, other workers and family members.

"This expanded agreement establishes Vestagen as the premier healthcare partner of Schoeller, a global leader in textile technology, and caps four years of productive collaboration between our two companies," said Uncas "Ben" B. Favret III, president and CEO of Vestagen. "Our shared goal of applying Schoeller's innovative technologies and expertise to address a serious gap in worker and patient safety has produced Vestex, the first fabrics that are clinically proven to protect against dangerous contaminants such as MRSA while also providing a high level of wearer comfort for everyday use."

Schoeller's innovative fluid barrier binds to individual fibers and is incorporated into the structure of Vestex, resulting in fabrics that are both durable and highly repellent over their entire surface to bodily fluids, water, oil and dirt. The high repellency works synergistically with Vestagen's embedded antimicrobial technology, which is effective against a broad spectrum of organisms. Vestagen has incorporated a second Schoeller technology into Vestex that wicks away moisture from inside the fabric and promotes evaporation, enhancing wearer comfort. Vestagen's proprietary manufacturing process seamlessly integrates the three technologies to produce Vestex fabrics. 

"The collaborative efforts of Vestagen and Schoeller to co-develop Vestex establishes a new standard for protective healthcare fabrics," noted Siegfried Winkelbeiner, CEO of Schoeller Technologies. "As an early mover and emerging leader in the new field of technology-based protective healthcare apparel, Vestagen is the perfect partner for our company with its proud history of textile innovation."

Mr. Winkelbeiner added, "Combining our high performance fluid repellent technology with Vestagen's antimicrobial has produced fabrics that offer exceptional protection against dangerous contaminants—a level of protection that far exceeds what could be achieved by each technology on its own. By incorporating our unique comfort technology, Vestagen has also ensured that Vestex uniforms can be worn all day, every day. We believe that Vestagen has the leadership and expertise to successfully establish Vestex as the standard for protective healthcare apparel and achieve broad adoption worldwide."

Contaminated clothing is a known carrier of bacteria, and studies in the U.S. show that healthcare workers have the highest rate of illness of any occupation. Contamination with difficult-to-treat organisms such as MRSA puts workers at risk and is responsible for many of the most serious hospital acquired infections. A recent peer-reviewed published study confirmed that Vestex scrubs achieved a statistically significant reduction in MRSA of more than 99.99% compared to standard uniforms. Initial acceptance of Vestex uniforms and scrubs by healthcare workers and institutions has been excellent.

Vestagen is producing a line of healthcare garments incorporating Vestex protection under its own brand. The company is also establishing a network of licensees and distributors in healthcare and related sectors to apply its technologies across a broad range of products and accelerate the commercialization of Vestex.

About Vestagen
Vestagen Technical Textiles develops and markets advanced performance textile products and technologies.  Vestagen has developed Vestex^®, the first in a new class of technology-based, active barrier protective fabrics combining antimicrobial, liquid repellent and breathability properties.  Vestex uniforms and scrubs for healthcare applications are designed to protect workers and their patients from dangerous contaminants. They are clinically proven to prevent or reduce the acquisition and retention of contaminants on clothing and are comfortable, durable and affordable. For more information, visit vestagen.com.

About Schoeller Technologies
Schoeller Technologies AG, a subsidiary of Schoeller Textile AG, develops and manufactures innovative fabrics and smart textile technologies. Switzerland-based Schoeller has been a global leader in the development of leading textile technologies for almost 150 years. It works with a wide variety of partners to develop textiles for specialty applications, many of which are leaders in their markets worldwide. Textile technologies from Schoeller have received numerous international awards and are featured in functional clothing and textiles of international premium brands. For more information, visit schoeller-tech.com/en/textile-company.

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SOURCE Vestagen Technical Textiles, Inc.