A Medical Device Daily

Siemens Healthcare (Malvern, Pennsylvania) will supply state-of-the-art diagnostics imaging equipment to all Ministry of Health hospitals (around 100) across Iraq. The recently signed contract has a value of around $70 million and is the biggest single order contract to be awarded to Siemens Healthcare in the Middle East.

The products, which include magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography equipment, mobile X-rays and mammography systems, help to increase diagnostic confidence, allowing for earlier detection of diseases. The equipment will be fully serviced over a period of five years.

"We are excited to be working closely with Siemens to offer this broad range of diagnostic services to all Ministry hospitals across Iraq. We have been a regular customer of Siemens for more than 30 years and are confident of the quality of their products, innovative solutions and excellent service history," said the Minister of Health, Iraq, Ali Saleh Al Hasnawi.

"We are very proud to announce this agreement as it means we are playing an active role in the helping rebuild healthcare services in Iraq," said Maurice Faber, VP Siemens Healthcare Sector Middle East. "One major result of this contract will be improved healthcare for all Iraqi people, and advanced breast cancer screening facilities for women in Iraq," said Faber.

Stereotaxis installs system in Taiwan

Stereotaxis (St. Louis) reported the installation of its first Stereotaxis Magnetic Navigation System in Taiwan at Cheng-Hsin General Hospital (CHMC) located in Taipei. CHMC hosted a Grand Opening event on January 26 that received wide coverage throughout the area and, to date, ten procedures have been successfully performed using Stereotaxis at the hospital.

"All too often during interventional procedures, we are required to spend quite a lot of time negotiating tortuous vessels. With the Stereotaxis system, we can get to where we need to go directly, enabling us to deliver therapy easily, in less time and with very low risk of an adverse event," said Dr. Wei-Hsian Yin, Chief of the Division of Cardiology, Cheng-Hsin General Hospital. "The system also allows us to reduce X-ray exposure and contrast, which is of great benefit to the patient, as well as the physician."

"Asia Pacific represents a strong growth opportunity for the company, and we are very pleased with our momentum in that region," said Mike Kaminski, president/CEO of Stereotaxis. "To date, we have sold 12 systems to hospitals in the region and are increasing our sales focus on Asia Pacific during 2010."

Stereotaxis makes a cardiology instrument control system designed for use in a hospital's interventional surgical suite to enhance the treatment of coronary artery disease and arrhythmias.

Delcath enters agreements in Taiwan

Delcath Systems (New York), a medical technology company testing its proprietary treatment system for primary and metastatic cancers to the liver, reported the signing of its first research, distribution, sales and marketing agreement for its Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion (PHP) system.

The agreement grants Chi-Fu Trading Co., Ltd. the exclusive right to market and sell the system in Taiwan for hepatic malignancies and infectious disease upon Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) approval, and any other approved use, with a conditional option for Singapore.

Chi-Fu will fund and manage clinical studies at up to four sites to gather data for submission to Taiwan government regulatory agencies for approval. Any regulatory filings will be in the name of Delcath Systems. For the clinical studies, Chi-Fu will purchase, at a discount, Delcath PHP systems to treat up to 200 patients with hepatic cancer. Any additional systems required will be sold at a confidential distributor price. It is intended that at least two of the clinical study sites will become reference sites when the studies are completed.

Delcath is to receive $1 million in milestone payments, comprised of $300,000 upon execution of the agreement and the balance upon receipt of the CE mark and upon receipt of FDA approval. In addition, Chi-Fu will be contractually committed to purchase a minimum number of systems annually during the term of the agreement, commencing when commercial sales begin in Taiwan. The term of the agreement extends for five years from the month when TFDA approval is received. The total value of the agreement to Delcath assuming receipt of the necessary approvals is estimated to be at least $10 million.

The terms of the agreement do not include Delcath providing any drugs used with the system to Chi-Fu. If during the term of this agreement, other indications for the system are approved by the TFDA, Chi-Fu will have the right to distribute the Delcath PHP System in Taiwan for those indications as well.

"This agreement is an important first step in bringing our proprietary technology to Asia, where the incidence of liver cancer and related hepatic disease is a major health issue and a leading cause of death," said Eamonn Hobbs, CEO of Delcath. "We believe the Chi-Fu agreement is a significant validation for the Delcath PHP System and we are continuing to pursue additional strategic partnerships to address other key Asian markets," he added.