A Medical Device Daily
Matria Healthcare (Marietta, Georgia) said it has signed an agreement with Revive Group, located in the Australian state of Queensland, to offer its on-line health and wellness programs to the Australian market.
Through the collaboration with the Revive Group, Australian health plans, employers and government agencies will have the opportunity to provide Matria's services to their members or employees.
Matria said the relevance of health enhancement programs in the Australian healthcare system is heightened by statistics showing that the rate of obesity among Australian adults has doubled over the past two decades. With obesity and its associated illnesses estimated to cost Australian society and governments as much as $1.2 billion a year, the commonwealth government also recently unveiled a new ministerial taskforce to tackle rising obesity rates.
“Health enhancement programs are still new for Australia, and we are optimistic that the market will respond as positively as the U.S. market has responded,” said Parker Petit, CEO and chairman of Matria. “Not only does Matria provide companies and health plans the means to deliver an extra level of care for their employees or members, but their return on investment is measurable through real-time reporting of participation and success.”
“With over eight years of development backed by science and research, Matria's program is unlike any other program in the Australian market,” said Louise Stewart, managing director of Revive Group. “Matria's health and wellness program is about prevention – helping combat the loss of productivity to companies with employee sick days and . . . unnecessary and costly hospital or doctor visits for health plans.”
She added: “The program allows individuals to understand their own health risks and gain motivation to improve their lifestyle. To maintain high participation rates an ongoing communication strategy and comprehensive incentive program is provided to guarantee success.”
The introduction of new Australian health legislation, to take effect by April 2007, will allow Australian health funds to offer programs such as Matria's health and wellness program. In addition, state and commonwealth government will introduce initiatives for employers providing these types of programs to their employees.
Taiwan approves IntraLase's FS laser
IntraLase (Irvine, California), maker of an ultra-fast laser that it said is “revolutionizing refractive and corneal surgery,” reported that Taiwan has granted approval for the sale of the company's femtosecond (FS) laser in that nation.
The company plans to immediately commercialize the IntraLase FS laser in Taiwan, further expanding its global presence. As of June 30, 471 IntraLase lasers were installed around the world and more than 850,000 IntraLase LASIK procedures had been performed in ophthalmic practices worldwide.
Taiwan Hwa-In, IntraLase's distributor in Hong Kong and mainland China, will begin offering the company's products in Taiwan immediately.
Jay Hsu, CEO of Taiwan Hwa-In, said, “The added safety of the IntraLase Method in LASIK will provide excellent momentum to drive patient demand in Taiwan, which has a very large number of patients seeking safer and more reliable treatments.”
Robert Palmisano, president/CEO of IntraLase, said, “The Taiwanese market represents an exciting opportunity and further demonstrates the global potential of IntraLase technology.”
The IntraLase FS laser, related software, and disposable devices replace the hand-held microkeratome blade used during LASIK surgery. The company said that the accuracy of its computer-controlled femtosecond laser has been shown to improve safety profiles and visual outcomes when used during LASIK.
The IntraLase FS also creates precision-designed intracorneal incisions that when combined can be used during lamellar and penetrating keratoplasty, and intrastromal ring implantation.
IntraLase said it is in the process of commercializing applications of its technology for treatment of corneal diseases that require corneal transplant surgery.
Rockeby gets Avian flu test order from Jordan
Australian diagnostic company Rockeby biomed reported securing a contract to supply its Avian Flu Rapid Test to Jordan as the company steps up marketing in the Middle East and Europe. Rockeby won a competitive tender to supply 3,000 Avian Flu rapid test kits to the Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan.
Dr. Sze Wee Tan, Rockeby chief executive, said the company is making significant progress in marketing the Avian Flu Rapid test to governments around the world based on the quality and price of its diagnostic. “In the month of August, we received new orders from Taiwan and Brunei, and reorders from Thailand and Romania.”
Tan said that earlier in August, Indonesian farming authorities ordered 2,000 of Rockeby's tests after hundreds of dead chickens on Bali were tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu.”
Rockeby's avian flu test received registration approval from the Indonesia Vet Agency last month, and the company is negotiating with health authorities around the world where outbreaks have occurred, including Italy, Turkey and Romania.
China Wireless adds to Tianjin contract
China Wireless Communications (Denver) said it has signed an additional contract with the Tianjin Medicine Industry & Biology Technic Co.
Tianjin Create Co., a systems integration company and subsidiary of China Wireless Communications, has signed an additional contract to provide laptop computers, computing solutions, network routing and auxiliary IP equipment for Tianjin Medicine Industry & Biology Technic.
Included in the contract are maintenance, technical support and software up-grades.
Tianjin Medicine Industry & Biology Technic Co. is a joint venture operation between the Chinese government and private industry. Founded in 1998, the company consists of two manufacturing facilities and a corporate headquarters.
China Wireless Communications said it is focusing its efforts on becoming a premier information technology company in China. Its business solutions include systems integration, broadband data services, support for Internet access and Voice over IP.