Wizzard Software Awarded FSS Contract For Talking Pill Bottle
Wizzard Software (OTCBB: WIZD) announced today they have been approved for a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract.
PITTSBURGH, PA (PRWEB) July 15, 2004
Promotes Gene Franz to General Manager of Solutions and Channels. Wizzard Software (OTCBB: WIZD) announced today they have been approved for a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract. This contract allows access to MedivoxRx Technologies' Talking Bottle by all Veterans Administration and Military healthcare facilities; Indian Health organizations; and other government-funded healthcare facilities.
The FSS contract, number V797P-4677A, is for items awarded under Open and Continuous Solicitation Number RFP-797-FSS-99-0025-R3. It is effective from June 17, 2004 to June 16, 2009. By utilizing the FSS contract, government purchasing processes are streamlined saving the agencies valuable time and money.
"Rex," The Talking Bottle, allows a patient to simply push a button on the bottle and hear their name, prescription type, dosage instructions, drug warnings and other information read in a clear, friendly voice. When the Talking Bottle is loaded by a pharmacist, the audio instructions are the same as those that appear in written form on the label. This product assists pharmacies in complying with stringent prescription medication regulations by having the dosage instructions and other critical information read "out-loud" to patients in addition to providing the instructions on the standard label. This "audio label" helps to ensure that a patient fully understands what the medication is, how often to take it and when to refill the prescription or discontinue its use. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that medication errors and/or adverse drug events kill an estimated 100,000 persons annually with the inability to read and understand medication instructions being a significant contributing factor.
In addition to assisting pharmacies with their compliance initiatives, Rex helps meet the needs of an aging population as people lose their sight, cognitive functionality and physical abilities. The estimated annual cost of blindness to the federal government is $4 billion. According to the Blinded Veterans Association, (BVA) there are over 100,000 blind and visually impaired men and women veterans throughout the United States, and that number is projected to reach 150,000 by the year 2010. The BVA estimates that a blind or a significantly visually impaired individual takes an average of 7 to 10 daily medications. The National Eye Institute reports that there are more than 1 million blind people in the United States today and that figure is projected to reach 1.8 million by 2020.
Further, Wizzard announced today the promotion of Gene Franz to General Manager of Wizzard's newly formed Solutions and Channels group. The immediate focus of the Solutions and Channels group will be the recently acquired MedivoxRx Technologies, Inc. subsidiary and its Talking Pill Bottle solution.
Mr. Franz came to Wizzard in 2002 after spending over 30 years both as a technician and sales executive in national and international consulting organizations. While serving as a manager at the American Medical Association he consulted to the National Institutes of Health. As part of that work, he co-authored a book titled: Reclassification of Physicians, 1968, which was focused on the gathering and analysis of information on the distribution of physicians in the United States.
About Wizzard Software Â
Founded in 1996, Wizzard Software has become a leader in the speech technology application development market. Wizzard architects solutions to business problems using its expertise in consulting, speech development tools and building speech based applications for the Desktop and Internet. Wizzard has achieved global recognition because of its expertise with voice communication whether it is via PC or telephone. Wizzard's successes have lead to expanding opportunities in both the government and commercial sectors. In April of 2004, Wizzard acquired the Pittsford, NY company MedivoxRx Technologies, Inc. Founded in 2000, MedivoxRx is the originator of "Rex", the talking prescription pill bottle, which "talks" to the patient, allowing them to distinguish what type of medication is in the bottle and hear information on dosage and refill instructions. Additional information can be found at www. rxtalks. com. More information on Wizzard can be found in Wizzard's Investor's Corner www. wizzardsoftware. com.
Legal NoticeÂ
Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: "Forward-looking Statements" as defined in the Private Securities litigation Reform Act of 1995 may be included in this news release. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. These statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future results or events. We disclaim any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. There are important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to risks associated with changes in general economic and business conditions, actions of our competitors, the extent to which we are able to develop new services and markets for our services, the time and expense involved in such development activities, the level of demand and market acceptance of our services, changes in our business strategies and acts of terror against the United States.
IR Contact:
Arthur Douglas and Associates
Art Batson
407/478-1120
Wizzard Contact:
Danielle Lewis
412/621-0902
Danielle@wizzardsoftware. com
PR Contact:
KPR, Inc.
Barbara Evans or Dave Kaye
818/368-8212
Barbara@kprinc. com or dave@kprinc. com
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