A Medical Device Daily

Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, Caliofornia), a developer of heart valves, reported the opening of its new heart valve manufacturing plant in Changi North Crescent, Singapore.

The facility produces Edwards' Carpentier-Edwards Perimount tissue heart valve replacements, and also serves as the headquarters for the company's Asia-Pacific operations, one of the company's fastest-growing regions.

"[Our] new Singapore facility was developed to meet the global demands for our technologically advanced tissue heart valve replacement products," said Donald Bobo Jr., corporate vice president, heart valve therapy.

He noted that the opening coincides with Edwards' 50th anniversary of "partnering with clinicians to develop life-saving innovations, and we look forward to serving more patients around the world through our heart valve operations in the U.S., Switzerland, and now Singapore."

Edwards Lifesciences is focused on treating advanced cardiovascular disease with heart valve therapies, and also provides critical care and vascular technologies. Its products are sold in about 100 countries.

China MED draws 600 exhibitors, 20K visitors

At the recent staging of China MED, the 20th International Medical Instruments and Equipment Exhibition, more than 600 exhibitors from some 20 nations displayed their latest products and technologies to 20,000 trade visitors from 81 countries.

The exhibitors occupied 323,000 square feet of exhibit space at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. The event was jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf China, China World Trade Center Co., Hui Tong Xingye International Exhibition Co. and the Medical Department of the General Logistics Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Messe Düsseldorf, the organizer of the annual MEDICA trade fair held in Germany, supported the event.

Exhibitors at China MED 2008 included companies such as Agfa, Belimed, Berchtold, Hitachi, Olympus, Philips, Rudolf, Siemens, Shimadzu, Toshiba and Ziehm Imaging. In addition to individual exhibitors, the trade fair also featured country group exhibits from Germany, Japan, Korea and Russia.

A buyers group consisting of 1,000 military hospital representatives attended the exhibition, as did numerous visitor groups composed of purchase department personnel from Chinese medical and health institutions.

The China MED 2008 exhibits were complemented by more than 50 academic and technical seminars on topics such as new medical equipment technology, rehabilitation, radiology and orthopedics, as well as medical equipment supervision and management.

Messe Düsseldorf said the next staging of China MED is scheduled for April 27-29, 2009, in Beijing.

Latin America distributor for Misonix

Misonix (Farmingdale, New York), a developer of minimally invasive ultrasonic technology for the ablation of cancer and other chronic health conditions, said it has entered into a three-year exclusive distribution and service agreement with MD International (Miami) for the company's SonaStar Ultrasonic Surgical Aspiration System and the BoneScalpel, a bone-cutting device.

The agreement provides MD International with the right to sell in Latin America. Four SonaStar systems have been shipped to Chile through MD International prior to executing the agreement.

In addition to its Miami headquarters, MD International has operating units or sales offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Puerto Rico. Established in 1987, it is one of the largest distributors of high-tech medical equipment to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Misonix said the SonaStar system allows physicians to perform the selective removal of tumors or other abnormal tissue while sparing vessels as much as possible. The system also is capable of performing precise bone shaving and is compatible with most electrocautery devices, thus controlling bleeding during certain surgical procedures.

BoneScalpel is a new Ultrasonic Osteotome (or bone-cutting device) for use in orthopedic and neurological applications related to the spine and cranium.

NC firm opens plant in China

SunTech Medical (Morrisville, North Carolina), a manufacturer of blood-pressure-monitoring technology, reported the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China.

Located at Jinxiongda Technology Park, the new 18,000-square-foot facility currently houses a staff of 25. SunTech said it anticipates continued growth as production ramps up in the months ahead.

The new team is headed by Peter Zhang, general manager, who has more then 10 years of operation management experience in multi-national companies.

David Gallick, VP of operations for SunTech Medical, said, "Months of training and preparation have gone into setting up a production area to support the high level of quality demanded by our current standards."

Company CEO Dayn McBee said, "the Shenzhen facility is an excellent addition to our sites in the UK, Hong Kong and Raleigh, North Carolina."

Chinese dialysis firm now traded on OTC

Southern Trust Securities Holding (Coral Gables, Florida), a financial services holding company offering securities brokerage, investment banking, investment advisory and wealth management services, said it has completed a series of transactions on behalf of Shanghai Medical Technology, a hemodialysis company.

As a result, Shanghai Medical has combined with Aamaxan Transport Group in a reverse merger, and is now publicly traded in the U.S. under the ticker symbol AAXT on the OTC Bulletin Board. A private financing in the amount of $12.5 million was closed concurrently with the merger.

Belmont Partners, a Virginia-based international financial consulting firm, provided the shell public company for the reverse merger transaction.

Southern Trust President Kevin Fitzgerald said Shanghai Medical is a major supplier of hemodialysis equipment, disposables and other kidney-related products to the population around the Shanghai area.

"Their business plan envisions rapid expansion, including an intention to open hospital-connected and freestanding dialysis clinics," Fitzgerald said. "The burgeoning population and wealth of China creates opportunities for healthcare companies such as Shanghai Medical."