A Medical Device Daily

Fonterra (Singapore), a global dairy business and expert in nutritional dairy products, and GE Healthcare 's (Waukesha, Wisconsin) Lunar (Madison, Wisconsin) business, termed the industry leader in bone assessment technologies, reported a partnership to tackle the growing global health problem of osteoporosis using Fonterra's Anlene bone health products and GE Healthcare's bone mineral density technology.

Representatives from Fonterra and GE Healthcare signed the three-year agreement in Singapore. Financial terms were not announced.

The partnership's first initiative is the Anlene Bone Health Check, a consumer awareness campaign to provide free ultrasound bone health screenings to an estimated 3 million people in nine Asian countries over the next two years. The next phase is likely to extend to Australia and New Zealand.

Fonterra Brands Managing Director Sanjay Khosla said the partnership is about bringing together the innovation and expertise of two leading companies to reach a new level of understanding about osteoporosis and bone health.

Jennie Hanson, president of the Lunar business, said, “Osteoporosis is a global healthcare concern. Our bone mineral density technologies play an important role in the fight against the disease. By understanding and addressing this manageable disease before symptoms appear, doctors and patients can be equipped with the information they need to act earlier, with better clarity and more precise tailored treatments.”

She termed Fonterra “a progressive and innovative company” that she said “shares our vision of promoting 'early health' on a large scale in a large region.” Saying “both GE Healthcare and Fonterra are known to bring innovative products to their respective customers,” Hanson said, “We will work together to leverage these strengths to provide an effective bone health solution.”

Khosla said the program would capture a comprehensive bank of data on bone health that will be shared with other major agencies addressing osteoporosis and bone health problems, including the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF; Lyon Cedex, France/Nyon, Switzerland).

The IOF estimates that by 2050 the worldwide cost of osteoporosis will increase to $131.5 billion. The current direct cost of treating osteoporosis fractures in the workplace in the U.S., Canada and Europe is about $48 billion. It said that more than 50% of the world's hip fractures are likely to occur in Asia by 2050, resulting in increased health costs for governments, health authorities, families and individuals.

“This partnership will highlight the problem of poor bone health while people still have time to do something about it,” Khosla said.

He said the Anlene Bone Health Check has the potential to generate extensive public awareness about the importance of bone health by taking the bone health message into the streets, shopping malls and work places. “We are offering the service first in Asia where osteoporosis is a major health issue,” Khosla said. “The bone health screenings will raise awareness and also provide an opportunity to give people practical steps they can take towards improving their bone health.”

Fonterra is a multi-national dairy company and one of the world's leading dairy ingredients and consumer businesses. It said it is the world's largest exporter of dairy products, with annual revenues of around $7.8 billion. Its consumer dairy business operates in 40 countries and its products are among the best known dairy brands in the world.

Its Anlene unit has a long history in bone health and has relationships with leading bone health specialists and researchers. Over the last 10 years, it has funded and been involved with 13 clinical trials relating to bone health.

In other agreements:

• BioSurplus (San Diego), a provider of pre-owned laboratory instruments and equipment management services, has been invited to join the Biocom Purchasing Group, giving Biocom members discounted access to the company's goods and services.

The purchasing group is designed to help Biocom members achieve the same purchasing economies of scale of large institutions by combining the volume of its member companies in a purchasing consortium that negotiates for set discounts with suppliers.

BioSurplus carries an extensive inventory of laboratory and process equipment, including manufacturer demos, refurbished instruments and other pre-owned items. It maintains a large warehouse facility and showroom.

“Whether a company is in the midst of a corporate merger, acquisition, upsizing, downsizing or liquidation, our turnkey services eliminate equipment-related headaches while maximizing equipment value, control and accountability,” says CEO Preston “Cinco” Plumb.

BioSurplus's services include inventorying, managing, valuing, redeploying, acquiring and reselling equipment. It says it is the leading provider of pre-owned laboratory instrument resale and equipment management services for biotechnology companies, colleges and universities.

Biocom is a life science industry association representing nearly 500 member companies.

• Accuro Healthcare Solutions (Dallas) reported an agreement to be the preferred provider of comprehensive revenue cycle management tools to healthcare organizations that belong to VHA (Irving, Texas), a national alliance that serves more than 2,400 not-for-profit, community-based healthcare organizations.

Accuro is focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of transactions along the continuum of care and helping providers optimize financial performance throughout the revenue cycle.

“VHA sought a supplier with revenue cycle expertise that would support our strategy to offer our members clear, defined and measurable value,” said Stuart Baker, VHA chief operating officer. “VHA will be working exclusively with Accuro to also develop complementary revenue cycle tools that will link with VHA's supply chain analytics to help members improve their operating income.”