3M has agreed to purchase, for an undisclosed sum, all assets, including intellectual property, of NAMSA's RSI rapid indicators product line. NAMSA employees will remain with NAMSA. This agreement is the result of the amicable settlement of patent infringement litigation between the companies.

According to Paul Rosso, general manager, 3M Medical-Surgical Division, "We are pleased with the addition of the rapid indicator technology to our broad array of sterilization monitoring solutions. A cooperative relationship between NAMSA and 3M is a positive outcome for healthcare providers." Jeff Blair, president and CEO of NAMSA commented, "We are pleased this litigation has ended with a settlement that will truly benefit RSI consumers. We are equally delighted to work with 3M on this project."

3M has been in the sterilization assurance business for over 30 years and pioneered the development of biological indicators, which utilize enzymes for rapid sterilization monitoring. NAMSA has been in sterility assurance for over 30 years as well and both developed and commercialized the RSI technology. Over the past several years NAMSA has established hundreds of satisfied RSI clients.

NAMSA is an international company with over 30 years experience in nonclinical testing to determine the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. NAMSA maintains laboratory facilities in Ohio, California, Georgia, France and Taiwan offering a breadth of testing services as well as Biological Indicators, Chemical Indicators, and Ink products for industrial applications worldwide.