How would you choose to spend four hours of your day? For more than 8,000 people in Alabama, that time is a matter of life or death. Many spend it on a dialysis machine -- the only way they can eliminate waste and unwanted water from their blood.

Despite the critical nature, some patients would rather forgo treatment than travel to a clinic. That is, until the state stepped in.

For at least three hours a day, three days a week, Henry Kelly gets hooked up to a dialysis machine for treatment. He uses the time in the chair to think about why it's important for him to be here.

"My mom, my brother were all on dialysis," Kelly recalls, "and they passed away on dialysis."

High blood pressure issues led him to dialysis treatment, a chronic illness that affected his brother and mother before their deaths. Kelly's mother also suffered from diabetes. He says she died following one of many long trips home from treatment.

His mother didn't live to see the Davita Center open in 2013. It serves 32 people in four different counties. More importantly, it's only minutes away from residents who need it.

Before the Davita Center was built, rural Perry County dialysis patients had two options for treatment: Drive the 30 minutes to Selma in Dallas County or double the distance to about 55 minutes by going to Demopolis in Marengo County. When factoring in the round trip, the time for treatment was simply too overwhelming for some patients.

"You had people choosing not to go to dialysis, and when that happens you die." explained Ron Sparks, appointed Director of the Black Belt Commission by Governor Robert Bentley. He learned early of the lack of health care options in rural counties.

"The lack of health care in these rural areas is a serious problem," Sparks says, "especially when it comes to dialysis."

Francis Ford set out to change that. She's a retired nurse and the health care coordinator in Perry County. A woman determined to stop the dying. "We didn't just only write letters ourselves, but we got patients to write, we got local citizens to write in the community. We had the support of our commissioners..."

And, she found the support of the governor. Bob Riley was in office at the time, and Chad Nichols was then head of the Black Belt Commission. He had a personal interest. His grandfather was a dialysis patient who lived in Perry County. He traveled to Selma for treatment.

"Going to dialysis, he was in a major car accident," Nichols remembered. "So I saw the impact it had on him..."

The first hurdle for Nichols and Ford was getting rid of a 1975 state health regulation that required a hospital within 25 miles of a dialysis center. Back in '75 there were 128 hospitals in Alabama. Today, there are just 92 and at least 10 have closed in the past 3 years .

"Shocked," Nichols reacted, "but also sadden that a state regulation was on the books that was, in my view, really impacting the quality of life and impacting or making life and death decisions at a time for people who didn't have the ability to travel to get care."

The state health department eliminated the rule back in 2005. More than 10 years and two governors later, Perry County finally has its own dialysis center.

"I don't think many people realize if you have not walked in the shoes of a person on dialysis, you don't know the hardship it is and the burden it is on that person's family," Ford expressed.

Henry Kelly no longer travels to Selma for treatment. He now comes to the Davita Center not far from where he lives. It means less time on the road and more time to think about life beyond the chair.

With the rule change, more centers can open in rural counties. But those areas usually run into other problems like health care costs. Since an overwhelming number of dialysis patients living in rural counties depend on public assistance, the reimbursement rate for the center is low. That means it's difficult for companies to make a profit.

If you have high blood pressure or diabetes you could be at risk for becoming a dialysis patient. 

CLICK HERE to visit the Alabama Kidney Foundation where you can find risk factors that could help save your life.

Copyright 2015 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.

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How would you choose to spend four hours of your day? For more than 8,000 people in Alabama, that time is a matter of life or death. Many spend it on a dialysis machine -- the only way they can eliminate waste and unwanted water from their blood.

Despite the critical nature, some patients would rather forgo treatment than travel to a clinic. That is, until the state stepped in.

For at least three hours a day, three days a week, Henry Kelly gets hooked up to a dialysis machine for treatment. He uses the time in the chair to think about why it's important for him to be here.

"My mom, my brother were all on dialysis," Kelly recalls, "and they passed away on dialysis."

High blood pressure issues led him to dialysis treatment, a chronic illness that affected his brother and mother before their deaths. Kelly's mother also suffered from diabetes. He says she died following one of many long trips home from treatment.

His mother didn't live to see the Davita Center open in 2013. It serves 32 people in four different counties. More importantly, it's only minutes away from residents who need it.

Before the Davita Center was built, rural Perry County dialysis patients had two options for treatment: Drive the 30 minutes to Selma in Dallas County or double the distance to about 55 minutes by going to Demopolis in Marengo County. When factoring in the round trip, the time for treatment was simply too overwhelming for some patients.

"You had people choosing not to go to dialysis, and when that happens you die." explained Ron Sparks, appointed Director of the Black Belt Commission by Governor Robert Bentley. He learned early of the lack of health care options in rural counties.

"The lack of health care in these rural areas is a serious problem," Sparks says, "especially when it comes to dialysis."

Francis Ford set out to change that. She's a retired nurse and the health care coordinator in Perry County. A woman determined to stop the dying. "We didn't just only write letters ourselves, but we got patients to write, we got local citizens to write in the community. We had the support of our commissioners..."

And, she found the support of the governor. Bob Riley was in office at the time, and Chad Nichols was then head of the Black Belt Commission. He had a personal interest. His grandfather was a dialysis patient who lived in Perry County. He traveled to Selma for treatment.

"Going to dialysis, he was in a major car accident," Nichols remembered. "So I saw the impact it had on him..."

The first hurdle for Nichols and Ford was getting rid of a 1975 state health regulation that required a hospital within 25 miles of a dialysis center. Back in '75 there were 128 hospitals in Alabama. Today, there are just 92 and at least 10 have closed in the past 3 years .

"Shocked," Nichols reacted, "but also sadden that a state regulation was on the books that was, in my view, really impacting the quality of life and impacting or making life and death decisions at a time for people who didn't have the ability to travel to get care."

The state health department eliminated the rule back in 2005. More than 10 years and two governors later, Perry County finally has its own dialysis center.

"I don't think many people realize if you have not walked in the shoes of a person on dialysis, you don't know the hardship it is and the burden it is on that person's family," Ford expressed.

Henry Kelly no longer travels to Selma for treatment. He now comes to the Davita Center not far from where he lives. It means less time on the road and more time to think about life beyond the chair.

With the rule change, more centers can open in rural counties. But those areas usually run into other problems like health care costs. Since an overwhelming number of dialysis patients living in rural counties depend on public assistance, the reimbursement rate for the center is low. That means it's difficult for companies to make a profit.

If you have high blood pressure or diabetes you could be at risk for becoming a dialysis patient. 

CLICK HERE to visit the Alabama Kidney Foundation where you can find risk factors that could help save your life.

Copyright 2015 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.

...

SAGINAW, MI — A dialysis company that failed in its effort to buy an empty Buena Vista Township school from the Saginaw School District is trying anew, this time in the city.

Universal Medical Group of Grand Blanc is offering $175,000 for the vacant Longfellow Elementary School, 1314 Brown in Saginaw.

Universal had offered up to $1 million to buy the former Phoenix Science & Technology Center in Buena Vista Township from the Saginaw School District to use as a dialysis center. Universal rescinded the offer in February, and the Saginaw charter school Francis Reh Academy bought the building for $3.5 million.

The Building and Grounds Committee on Wednesday, May 6, decided to wait to  bring Universal's newest offer to the full board in order to conduct a building inventory and get answers to questions from the company.

School leaders questioned whether the company would be able to operate a business in the residential area of the Cathedral District.

Trustee Mattie Thompson suggested that the district's administration provide a full inventory of the contents of the building, which closed at the end of the 2013 school year.

"It would be a good idea to do a detailed inventory of all buildings that are left in the district so the district won't face these problems when trying to sell other properties," agreed committee chairwoman Alexis Thomas.

Thomas also recommended bringing all parties involved to a building and grounds meeting to address questions and concerns.

The sale of Longfellow will be brought back before the committee in June.

In other business, a recommendation to accept a bid from Melching Inc. of Nunica for the demolition of Webber Middle and Elementary schools failed 3-0 as committee members work out the bid process.

Interim Superintendent Kelley Peatross said that there were two addendums for the razing of the schools, and the company whose bid she recommended accepting only submitted information for one.

"That made their price significantly lower," Peatross said.

Peatross said that after a phone call to the company, a correction was made. The revised bid was a little over $500,000.

Thompson said she thought that was unfair to the other companies. The committee voted to gather more information before bringing the matter up at its June meeting.

Bob Johnson is a reporter for MLive/The Saginaw News. Contact him at 989-395-3295, by email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or follow him on Twitter,Facebook or Google+.

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WIXOM, Mich., May 7, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rockwell Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq:RMTI), a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company targeting end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with innovative products and services for the treatment of iron replacement, secondary hyperparathyroidism and hemodialysis, reported results for the first quarter of 2015.

Q1 2015 Financial Highlights

• Sales were $13.9 million, a 7.1% increase over Q1 2014.
• Gross profit was $2.3 million, a 37.6% increase over Q1 2014.
• Gross profit margins increased to 16.7% compared to 13.0% in Q1 2014.
• R&D expense was $0.8 million, a $3.8 million or 83% decrease compared to Q1 2014.
• Net loss was $3.7 million or $0.07 per share, compared to a net loss of $7.8 million or $0.20 per share in Q1 2014, a $4.1 million improvement.
• Cash and investments were $83.3 million at March 31, 2015.

Q1 2015 Corporate Highlights

• Obtained U.S. FDA drug approval to market Triferic (ferric pyrophosphate citrate) for iron replacement and hemoglobin maintenance in hemodialysis patients.
• Presented Triferic clinical data at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Meeting and the Annual Dialysis Conference.
• Increased manufacturing of Triferic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in preparation for commercial product launch.

"The first quarter was highlighted by obtaining FDA drug approval to market Triferic, a major milestone for our Company," stated Mr. Robert L. Chioini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rockwell. "Triferic is a true iron maintenance therapy and we believe it will greatly benefit patients while becoming the new standard of care for treating anemia in hemodialysis patients. We are working diligently toward a successful commercial launch for Triferic, and we are pleased with the nephrology community's strong interest and feedback on the drug. Currently, both Triferic and Calcitriol are on track for commercial launch."

Mr. Chioini further commented, "Our concentrate business continued to perform well and was in line with expectations following the Baxter distribution agreement. We had $83.3 million in cash and liquid investments and no long-term debt at the end of March 2015, giving us a strong financial position as we prepare for commercial drug launch and further Company growth."

Conference Call Information

Rockwell Medical will be hosting a conference call to review its first quarter 2015 results on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at 4:30 pm ET. Investors are encouraged to call a few minutes in advance at (877) 383-7438, or for international callers (678) 894-3975, passcode #35684591 or to listen to the call via webcast at the Rockwell Medical IR web page: http://ir.rockwellmed.com/

About Triferic

Triferic is a unique iron compound that is delivered to hemodialysis patients via dialysate, replacing the ongoing iron loss that occurs during their dialysis treatment. Triferic is introduced into bicarbonate concentrate, on-site at the dialysis clinic, and subsequently mixed into dialysate. Once in dialysate, Triferic crosses the dialyzer membrane and enters the blood where it immediately binds to transferrin and is transported to the erythroid precursor cells to be incorporated into hemoglobin. In completed clinical trials, Triferic has demonstrated that it can effectively deliver sufficient iron to the bone marrow and maintain hemoglobin, without increasing iron stores (ferritin). Please visit www.triferic.com for more information.

About Rockwell Medical

Rockwell Medical is a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company targeting end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with innovative products and services for the treatment of iron replacement, secondary hyperparathyroidism and hemodialysis.

Rockwell's recent FDA approved drug Triferic is indicated for iron replacement and maintenance of hemoglobin in hemodialysis patients. Triferic delivers iron to patients during their regular dialysis treatment, using dialysate as the delivery mechanism. In completed clinical trials, Triferic has demonstrated that it safely and effectively delivers sufficient iron to the bone marrow and maintains hemoglobin, without increasing iron stores (ferritin). Rockwell intends to market Triferic to hemodialysis patients in the U.S. dialysis market.

Rockwell's FDA approved generic drug Calcitriol is for treating secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients. Calcitriol (active vitamin D) injection is indicated in the management of hypocalcemia in patients undergoing chronic renal dialysis. It has been shown to significantly reduce elevated parathyroid hormone levels. Reduction of PTH has been shown to result in an improvement in renal osteodystrophy. Rockwell intends to market Calcitriol to hemodialysis patients in the U.S. dialysis market.

Rockwell is also an established manufacturer and leader in delivering high-quality hemodialysis concentrates/dialysates to dialysis providers and distributors in the U.S. and abroad. As one of the two major suppliers in the U.S., Rockwell's products are used to maintain human life by removing toxins and replacing critical nutrients in the dialysis patient's bloodstream. Rockwell has three manufacturing/distribution facilities located in the U.S.

Rockwell's exclusive renal drug therapies support disease management initiatives to improve the quality of life and care of dialysis patients and are intended to deliver safe and effective therapy, while decreasing drug administration costs and improving patient convenience. Rockwell Medical is developing a pipeline of drug therapies, including extensions of Triferic for indications outside of hemodialysis. Please visit www.rockwellmed.com for more information.

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, Rockwell's intention to launch Calcitriol and Triferic following FDA approval. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan", "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While Rockwell Medical believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in Rockwell Medical's SEC filings. Thus, actual results could be materially different. Rockwell Medical expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Triferic^™ is a trademark of Rockwell Medical, Inc.

CONTACT: Michael Rice, Investor Relations; 646-597-6979

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