A Medical Device Daily

CardioDynamics (San Diego), developer of the Impedance Cardiography (ICG) technology, reported a strategic alliance with Recorders and Medicare Systems (RMS; Chandigarh, India), one of the largest manufacturers of medical equipment in that country.

Under terms of the distribution and technology licensing agreements, RMS will have rights to sell CardioDynamics’ BioZ products in India and also will integrate BioZ ICG technology into its own patient monitoring products.

RMS is a manufacturer and seller of electro-medical equipment to the Indian healthcare market. The company says it has product installs in nearly every major medical institution in India and has more than 200 sales and service personnel based in 53 branch offices throughout the country.

CardioDynamics will receive product revenue for each ICG monitor and a licensing fee for each BioZ ICG kit purchased by RMS.

Michael Perry, CEO of CardioDynamics, said, “We have made a concerted effort to diversify our business beyond the U.S. physician office market, which is heavily dependent upon Medicare and private insurance reimbursement. These agreements with RMS are another step in driving our international growth initiatives and will build upon the recently announced record 50% year-over-year quarterly growth in our international business.

“Through our technology licensing strategies, we are increasing global access to our BioZ ICG technology and increasing the recurring revenue content of our business.”

CardioDynamics said India, whose population exceeds 1 billion, “has significantly increased its healthcare expenditures over the past decade to more than $34 billion or roughly 6% of GDP. The population of individuals at least 60 years of age is projected to triple over the next 20 years to an estimated 190 million.”

Suman Jolly, managing director of RMS, said, “We are [pleased] to partner with the world’s premier ICG monitoring company and to bring innovative medical technology to our healthcare system. The [Indian] government is encouraging growth of the medical equipment market through policies such as a reduction in import duties on medical equipment, higher depreciation for life-saving medical equipment, and a number of other tax incentives.”

Middle East distributor for BodyTel

BodyTel Scientific (Jacksonville, Florida), a developer of wireless telemedical devices, said that, through its wholly owned BodyTel Europe subsidiary, it has entered into an international distribution agreement with FourMed Medical Supplies (Dubai, United Arab Emirates), a distributor of medical supplies in the Middle East.

Beginning this quarter, FourMed Medical Supplies will begin offering BodyTel’s blood glucose monitoring and diabetes management system, GlucoTel, as well as the company’s PressureTel blood pressure device and the WeightTel weight scale, once available, in eight Arabian countries, with the United Arab Emirates as its core market.

“FourMed has excellent know-how in the targeted markets, as well as extensive experience in selling diabetes products. We’re convinced that our new partner will play a key role for BodyTel in the coverage of the entire Arabian market,” said Michael Berrendorf, sales director-EMEA at BodyTel.

“BodyTel’s products ... will help our patients and medical professionals in their quest for better diabetes management,” said Mutasem Al Titi, CEO of FourMed. “This innovative blood glucose monitoring and diabetes management system will add great value to our region as it has one of the world’s highest incident rate of diabetes.”

BodyTel’s first market-ready product is the GlucoTel blood glucose meter. It is part of the GlucoTel system, a complete telemedical blood glucose monitoring and diabetes management system, supporting patients and doctors in the treatment of diabetes and its corollary diseases.

GlucoTel electronically measures the blood sugar level and then sends it via Bluetooth to the patient’s cell phone. After that, the data is automatically transmitted to an online database via Internet connection and stored on a long-term basis.

Study relates gastric surgery to diabetes

A new world-first study by Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) researchers has that found gastric banding surgery has a profound impact on diabetes.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found obese patients with Type 2 diabetes who underwent gastric banding were five times more likely to have their diabetes move into long-term remission, compared with patients who engaged in conventional weight loss therapies, such as a controlled-calorie diet and exercise.

The four-year study, which was led by John Dixon, MD, and Paul O’Brien, MD, of Monash University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education, monitored 60 volunteers for two years who underwent significant weight loss of more than 10% of their body weight.

Dixon said of those who underwent gastric banding surgery, 73% achieved remission for Type 2 diabetes, compared to just 13% of the people who underwent conventional therapy.

“Our study presents strong evidence that obese patients with a BMI greater than 30 with Type 2 diabetes need to lose a significant amount of weight to improve their overall health and glycemic management,” Dixon said. “[The] study shows that gastric banding surgery can assist those patients to achieve this — and with sustained results.”