NxStage Medical signs 5-year distribution agreement with Spindial

NxStage Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM), a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today announced that it signed a five-year distribution agreement with Spindial S.p.A., a distributor of renal care products, for the promotion, sale, delivery and service of the NxStage System One™ and certain of the Company's in-center products in Italy.

Under the terms of the agreement, the NxStage System One and PureFlow™ dialysate preparation system, as well as Medisystems bloodlines and ButtonHole needles, will be available to dialysis providers throughout Italy through Spindial.

"We are delighted to have signed Spindial as our newest international partner and look forward to a growing presence in the Italian market," stated Joseph Turk, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations of NxStage Medical, Inc.  "The Italian dialysis community has been a leader in supporting the benefits of home therapy and more frequent home hemodialysis.  As a well established supplier of medical devices in Italy, Spindial will provide us with a meaningful opportunity to broaden access to the NxStage System One."

"We feel that this is right time to introduce home therapy with the NxStage System One because of the growing interest in treating more chronic hemodialysis patients at home versus in the public hospitals," said Marcello Grondelli, President and CEO of Spindial S.p.A.  "There are already emerging local policies to expand utilization of home hemodialysis in certain regions of Italy and we believe that these will diffuse to other regions of the country.  Our mutual goal is to expand access to NxStage's  life-changing therapy in Italy."