Convatec Launches Natura™ Convex Accordion Flange™, Designed to Make Ostomy Pouch Application Easier and More Comfortable

• New convex option completes Convatec’s Accordion Flange™ range, responding to individual consumer needs and preferences in growing segment of ostomy care market

 READING, UNITED KINGDOM (3 August 2017) — Convatec Group Plc (“ConvaTec”), a leading global medical technology company, today announced the global launch of the Natura™ Convex Cut-to-Fit Accordion Flange™ designed to make two-piece ostomy pouch application easier and more comfortable for people with a stoma.

The new convex product completes the company’s Accordion Flange™ range alongside the earlier roll out of Flat Cut-to-Fit and ConvaTec Moldable Technology™ products. It also complements the recently launched Esteem™+ Flex Convex one-piece system, offering more options for convexity, a fast-growing segment of the ostomy market, and providing consumers and nurses with a wide choice of one- and two-piece ostomy solutions to suit their individual needs and preferences.

The Accordion Flange™ is a component of a two-piece system which adheres to the skin around the stoma (and can also be referred to as a wafer, skin barrier or baseplate). To attach a pouch to the wafer, the accordion-like flange lifts up, away from the body, allowing the user to snap the pouch onto the flange ring without pressing onto the abdomen. An audible click tells the user that the pouch attachment is secure. The pouch can then be gently lowered back into place against the body, giving the user a discreet low profile during wear.

“We developed the Accordion Flange™ to give two-piece users the finger space they need to make pouch application easier and more comfortable, especially for people who have recently had surgery and others with tender abdomens,” said Erik Zimmer, Vice President and General Manager, Ostomy Care, ConvaTec. “Today’s launch extends these benefits to people who need a convex wafer, and fulfills our commitment to continually launching products and solutions – such as our me+™ Direct-To-Consumer Programme – that inspire people with ostomies to live the life they want.”

The growing demand for convexity is due to multiple factors, which can affect an ostomate’s feeling of security and quality of life. These include stoma profiles that are flush or retracted below the skin surface and thus require a convex barrier to aid protrusion and help keep output from leaking under the barrier. Increased obesity rates also mean that consumers are looking to convex systems to support stomas between skin folds and creases and adhere more securely to soft or uneven skin surfaces.1

Features and Benefits of the Natura™ Accordion Flange™

The intuitive, easy-to-use design of the Natura™ Accordion Flange™ minimises pressure on the abdomen during 2-piece pouch application. In the ‘UP’ position, the flange provides a full finger width space to make pouch attachment easy and comfortable especially for users with compromised dexterity or tender abdomens. In the ‘DOWN’ position, the flange provides the user with a discreet low profile, designed to be less visible under clothing.

Available in a comprehensive range to suit all customers, the Natura™ Accordion Flange™ includes Convex and Flat Cut-to-Fit options as well as a flat option with Convatec Moldable Technology™ that delivers the additional benefit of clinically-proven skin and leak protection.

To complete the two-piece system, the range pairs with Natura+™ pouches, to suit people with colostomies, ileostomies and urostomies. As with all Natura™ two-piece systems, a reassuring audible click signals to the user that the pouch is securely attached to the flange.

The Natura™ Convex Cut-to-Fit Accordion Flange™ is being rolled out globally across markets in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

For more information about the Natura™ Convex Cut-to-Fit Accordion Flange™ and the company’s full range of ostomy solutions and accessories, visit www.convatec.com or call Convatec customer service.

About me+™

me+™ is a consumer-focused support and service platform designed to help resolve unmet needs and elevate the experience of living with an ostomy. Through the me+™ program, Convatec provides support to clinicians and caregivers, as well as personalized solutions for people living with an ostomy. This is done through ongoing resources, tools, honest information, emotional support and superior products. By combining our product offering with a robust service and support program, it is our belief that people living with an ostomy are more likely to have good outcomes and a better experience of ostomy care.

About Convatec

Convatec is a global medical products and technologies company focused on therapies for the management of chronic conditions. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (stock symbol: CTEC) and has leading market positions in advanced wound care, ostomy care, continence and critical care, and infusion devices. Convatec's products provide a range of clinical and economic benefits, including infection prevention, protection of at-risk skin, improved patient outcomes and reduced total cost of care. www.convatecgroup.com

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Natura, Accordion Flange, me+ and Convatec Moldable Technology are trademarks of Convatec Inc.

© 2017 Convatec Inc. AP-017878-MM

¹ Turnbull GB. The convexity controversy. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2003; 49(1): 16-17. www.o-

wm.com/article/1203.  Accessed 23 January, 2017.