Medtech Firms in Asia Have New Muscle

When medical device companies look for new areas of market growth, most heads turn eastward. It’s no surprise to any reader of Medical Product Outsourcing that the Asia-Pacific region is poised to provide increasing opportunity to medical technology firms thanks to a growing middle class, improving healthcare infrastructures and, as a result, an uptick in high-end technology adoption.
While Asia doesn’t always make the most sense strictly as a manufacturing center to serve global needs, the latest drumbeat of “Asia for Asia” continues to resonate. Thus, the many large medical device companies with pockets deep enough to pursue a global footprint are doing just that to be in the middle of  where the action is going to be.

Along those lines, on April 24, some of the largest medical technology companies in the industry joined forces to form the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed). We’re all familiar with (if not, get to know them) U.S.-based trade groups such as the Advanced Medical Technology Association, the Medical Device Manufacturers Association and state-based groups such as the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council, LifeScience Alley in Minnesota, BioUtah or the Florida Medical Manufacturers Consortium. Of course, trade groups have played a role internationally for years, with groups such as Eucomed in Europe and MEDEC in Canada serving as long-time players in global medtech advocacy.

But this is a first for Asia.

Based in Singapore, APACMed, according to its newly named leadership, was created to “improve access to high-quality healthcare for patients by collaborating with governments, policy makers and other stakeholders to create innovative solutions and jointly shape the future of healthcare in the region.”

Member companies so far include industry heavyweights Abbott Laboratories Inc., Baxter International Inc., B. Braun, Becton Dickinson and Co., Boston Scientific Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., GE Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic plc, Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, Stryker Corp. and Zimmer Holdings Inc. APACMed was formed to address the unmet needs of two-thirds of the world’s population that resides in this region, officials for the organization said.

“Our aim is to represent the diverse group of innovative medical technology companies and industry associations in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Vladimir Makatsaria, chairman of APACMed and head of the medical device business in the Asia-Pacific region for Johnson & Johnson. “This is the first time we have combined our efforts to drive access, innovation and collaboration in order to benefit patients in Asia-Pacific. We welcome medical technology companies and associations with a similar vision to join us.”

The association will be involved in regulatory issues, ethical business standards and compliance, and will help promote innovation and talent development in the region. The group also will work for “sustainable development of products and services to address the unmet healthcare needs of the region,” officials noted.

“With the dynamic healthcare landscape, greater collaboration is needed to solve mutual healthcare challenges in innovative ways,” said James Lim Leong Ching, board member and president, greater Asia, for Becton Dickinson. “We want to make modern, innovative, and reliable technologies available to patients in Asia-Pacific.”

APACMed has appointed Fredrik Nyberg as CEO of the association, to work with the industry and its partners to demonstrate the value of innovation in medical technology, promote regulatory harmonization, encourage sustainability, and establish a code of ethics.

Nyberg is an expert on the medical device industry in Asia, having worked in the region for more than 25 years, most recently serving as senior director of consulting, Asia-Pacific, for Quintiles Consulting, one of the largest providers of biopharma and health-sciences development and commercial outsourcing services.

“I’m delighted to join APACMed as CEO,” said Nyberg. “As members of the global healthcare community, it is our responsibility to ensure patients have access to the most innovative, life-changing healthcare solutions. It is our hope that APACMed will be a unifying voice for the medical device and in-vitro diagnostics industries in Asia-Pacific.”

Nyberg told The Wall Street Journal that senior industry leaders have been talking for nearly two years about the importance of working together and “forming an industry group to more effectively affect change in regulations, treatment guidelines, laws and ethics.”

“What we’re seeing is we’re at a bit of an inflection point in Asia-Pacific in terms of healthcare. More and more people in Asia want—and are able to afford—better healthcare, but supply is not keeping up,” Nyberg told the paper.

The association isn’t wasting any time. From Dec. 9-11, APACMed plans to host the first Asia Pacific Medical Technology Forum in Singapore.  Yet another reason to look east. 

Christopher Delporte
Editorial Director