Chindex Medical Limited Announces Exclusive Distribution Agreements in China and Hong Kong for Leading Nuclear Imaging and Robotic Orthopedic Surgical
SHANGHAI, May 21, 2011 -- Chindex Medical Limited ("CML"), a leading specialized full-service distributor of high tech medical equipment in Greater China, today announced that it has entered into three new exclusive, multi-year distribution agreements for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, with MAKO Surgical Corp., Naviscan, Inc., and Spectrum Dynamics Ltd.
MAKO Surgical Corp., based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Nasdaq: MAKO), is an innovative orthopedic medical device company that markets both its RIO® System and proprietary RESTORIS® Family of Knee Implants for a minimally invasive procedure called MAKOplasty®. MAKO has appointed CML as the exclusive distributor for China, including Hong Kong and Macau. The RIO® System features proprietary tactile robotic arm technology with integrated, intelligent bone cutting instruments and the high-definition patient-specific visualization system to pre-plan and treat each patient uniquely and more accurately. RIO® makes possible a "virtual" cutting guide that eliminates conventional and custom cutting blocks and jigs for enhance efficiency and resection techniques. CML is planning to launch the RIO® in Hong Kong while the regulatory approval process with China's State Food and Drug Administration is underway. Product launch in the People's Republic of China of the RIO® is not expected until 2012, with the unique implants to follow upon completion of clinical trials. CML will supplement its substantial robotic surgical expertise with additional orthopedic implant expertise, and marketing and sales of the RIO® System and other orthopedic products will be led by this specialized team.
Naviscan, Inc., headquarted in San Diego, California, manufactures the only commercially-available PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) scanner and PEM-guided biopsy system. The scanner uses PET technology to produce tomographic images that allow physicians to visualize and biopsy breast tumors as small as 1.3mm, the width of a grain of rice. In recently published data, PEM, the scanner's breast application, has been found to be significantly more precise at identifying benign and cancerous lesions, in what scientists call "specificity", therefore reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies. This finding is a welcomed outcome for women and physicians looking for ways to reduce the patient trauma and cost associated with unnecessary procedures. The agreement represents the introduction of PEM as a new tool available to Chinese women in their fight against breast cancer. CML's strong presence in the minimally-invasive surgical and imaging sectors as the exclusive distributor for the Intuitive Surgical daVinci® Surgical Systems, and Siemens high-end ultrasound and Hologic mammography products, make CML an ideal partner for Naviscan as it continues its expansion in Asia. CML will begin sales and marketing efforts in Hong Kong while the regulatory approval process with China's State Food and Drug Administration is underway. Product launch in the People's Republic of China is not expected until 2012.
Spectrum Dynamics, with offices in New York and California, and research and development facilities in Caesarea Israel, is a pioneering medical device company focused on personalized molecular imaging and related applications. With its D-SPECT system using Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) nuclear imaging modules, Spectrum Dynamics is revolutionizing the practice of nuclear cardiology, and aims to eventually improve all nuclear medicine applications, by dramatically enhancing workflow and providing new clinical applications not possible with conventional technology. With extensive experience in the high-end cardiology markets in both China and Hong Kong through its more than two decades as a distributor for Siemens ultrasound products, CML is perfectly suited to bring this new technology to Greater China. CML will begin sales and marketing efforts in Hong Kong while the regulatory approval process with China's State Food and Drug Administration is underway. Product launch in the People's Republic of China is not expected until 2012.
Mr. Ding Xiao Jun, CEO of CML, commented from Shanghai, "We are excited to be announcing these partnerships with industry-leading manufacturers of cutting-edge technology that will widen the breadth of products that CML can now offer to China's healthcare communities. Importantly, all of these exclusive agreements bring exciting new technologies that leverage our existing leadership in their respective target markets in China."
MAKO Surgical Corp., based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Nasdaq: MAKO), is an innovative orthopedic medical device company that markets both its RIO® System and proprietary RESTORIS® Family of Knee Implants for a minimally invasive procedure called MAKOplasty®. MAKO has appointed CML as the exclusive distributor for China, including Hong Kong and Macau. The RIO® System features proprietary tactile robotic arm technology with integrated, intelligent bone cutting instruments and the high-definition patient-specific visualization system to pre-plan and treat each patient uniquely and more accurately. RIO® makes possible a "virtual" cutting guide that eliminates conventional and custom cutting blocks and jigs for enhance efficiency and resection techniques. CML is planning to launch the RIO® in Hong Kong while the regulatory approval process with China's State Food and Drug Administration is underway. Product launch in the People's Republic of China of the RIO® is not expected until 2012, with the unique implants to follow upon completion of clinical trials. CML will supplement its substantial robotic surgical expertise with additional orthopedic implant expertise, and marketing and sales of the RIO® System and other orthopedic products will be led by this specialized team.
Naviscan, Inc., headquarted in San Diego, California, manufactures the only commercially-available PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) scanner and PEM-guided biopsy system. The scanner uses PET technology to produce tomographic images that allow physicians to visualize and biopsy breast tumors as small as 1.3mm, the width of a grain of rice. In recently published data, PEM, the scanner's breast application, has been found to be significantly more precise at identifying benign and cancerous lesions, in what scientists call "specificity", therefore reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies. This finding is a welcomed outcome for women and physicians looking for ways to reduce the patient trauma and cost associated with unnecessary procedures. The agreement represents the introduction of PEM as a new tool available to Chinese women in their fight against breast cancer. CML's strong presence in the minimally-invasive surgical and imaging sectors as the exclusive distributor for the Intuitive Surgical daVinci® Surgical Systems, and Siemens high-end ultrasound and Hologic mammography products, make CML an ideal partner for Naviscan as it continues its expansion in Asia. CML will begin sales and marketing efforts in Hong Kong while the regulatory approval process with China's State Food and Drug Administration is underway. Product launch in the People's Republic of China is not expected until 2012.
Spectrum Dynamics, with offices in New York and California, and research and development facilities in Caesarea Israel, is a pioneering medical device company focused on personalized molecular imaging and related applications. With its D-SPECT system using Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) nuclear imaging modules, Spectrum Dynamics is revolutionizing the practice of nuclear cardiology, and aims to eventually improve all nuclear medicine applications, by dramatically enhancing workflow and providing new clinical applications not possible with conventional technology. With extensive experience in the high-end cardiology markets in both China and Hong Kong through its more than two decades as a distributor for Siemens ultrasound products, CML is perfectly suited to bring this new technology to Greater China. CML will begin sales and marketing efforts in Hong Kong while the regulatory approval process with China's State Food and Drug Administration is underway. Product launch in the People's Republic of China is not expected until 2012.
Mr. Ding Xiao Jun, CEO of CML, commented from Shanghai, "We are excited to be announcing these partnerships with industry-leading manufacturers of cutting-edge technology that will widen the breadth of products that CML can now offer to China's healthcare communities. Importantly, all of these exclusive agreements bring exciting new technologies that leverage our existing leadership in their respective target markets in China."