Fred Meyer to Offer Needle-Free Flu Vaccines for First Time

Select stores will use the Biojector® 2000 from Portland-based Bioject Medical Technologies Inc.

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fred Meyer customers now have a needle-free option to be immunized against the flu this fall. Most Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington now have available traditional flu shots as well as a needle-free option that is manufactured by Portland-based Bioject Medical Technologies Inc.

Fred Meyer expects to immunize tens of thousands of customers in its stores during the 2011-2012 flu season, which can begin between October and December in the Northwest and run as late as May. According to the CDC, more than 160 million doses of flu vaccine were produced for last year’s flu season.

“While needle-free vaccines have been used in the past in some public agencies and the military, this is the first time this option has been available to the public through their pharmacies,” said Marc Cecchini, vice president and director of Pharmacy for Fred Meyer Stores. “This provides a great alternative for customers who are wary of needles but want to protect themselves against the flu.”

“The Biojector offers patients a safe, easy and convenient alternative to the needle and syringe for their annual flu shot,” said Dr. Richard Stout, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Bioject. “We are pleased that Fred Meyer has chosen to incorporate this in its 2011-2012 flu immunization program.”

The Biojector is a unique CO2 gas powered needle-free injector which can deliver medications or vaccines up to 1.0 ml in volume, either subcutaneously or intramuscularly, from a sterile single-use syringe. The system has three components: a durable injection device, a disposable needle-free syringe, and a CO2 cartridge. The plastic syringe is the only part of the system that comes in contact with the patient's skin. After each injection, the used syringe is discarded and a new one is inserted for the next injection.

About Fred Meyer Stores

Fred Meyer Stores, based in Portland, Ore., offers one-stop shopping at its 132 multi-department stores in four western states. Nearly 30,000 Fred Meyer associates help customers fill their food, apparel, and general merchandise needs in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Stores range in size from 65,000 to 230,000 square feet and carry more than 200,000 products under one roof. Additionally, Fred Meyer donates more than 4 million pounds of food to food banks in its four-state market and contributes more than $4 million to communities across the Northwest each year through grants from the Fred Meyer Foundation as well as product donations, cash donations and sponsorships. Fred Meyer Stores is a division of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). For more information, please visit our Web site at www.fredmeyer.com

About Bioject

Bioject Medical Technologies Inc., based in Portland, Oregon, USA, is an innovative developer and manufacturer of needle-free injection therapy systems (NFITS). NFITS provide an empowering technology and work by forcing medication at high speed through a tiny orifice held against the skin. This creates a fine stream of high-pressure fluid penetrating the skin and depositing medication in the tissue beneath. Bioject is focused on developing mutually beneficial agreements with leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and veterinary companies, as well as research, global health and government organizations. For more information about Bioject, visit www.bioject.com.

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CONTACT:

Bioject Medical Technologies, Inc.
President and CEO
Ralph Makar, 503-692-8001 ext. 4137
or
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Richard Stout, 503-692-8001 ext. 4130
or
Fred Meyer Stores
Director, Public Affairs
Melinda Merrill, 503-797-3830

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Oregon

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Health  Biotechnology  Medical Devices  Pharmaceutical  Retail  Supermarket

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