NewsJanuary 8
ASCENSIA DIABETES CARE ENTERS INTO A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP WITH POCTECH TO DISTRIBUTE AND CO-DEVELOP CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING SYSTEMS
Tokyo, January 8, 2019 – PHC Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Tokyo, Japan) announces that Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG (hereafter Ascensia) has entered into a global alliance with Zhejiang POCTech Co., Ltd (hereafter POCTech), a developer and manufacturer of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems. Ascensia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.
Ascensia has entered into an agreement that appoints them as the exclusive distributor for POCTech in initial 13 specifically selected markets where POCTech does not yet have a distributor, with the right of first refusal for distribution rights in other available countries. As part of this agreement Ascensia will commercialize a version of POCTech’s current CGM product in these geographies and is intending to begin distributing product in the second half of 2019.
As the second part of this alliance, Ascensia and POCTech have also entered into a joint development agreement to co-develop next-generation products that build on POCTech’s existing technology. This agreement will leverage expertise from both companies to build and manufacture exciting next-generation products with enhanced capabilities and features that are designed to more effectively meet the needs of people with diabetes.
“We are committed to expanding our business beyond blood glucose monitoring and we see continuous glucose monitoring as a critical component of diabetes care. This partnership will enable us to bring an approved CGM product to selected markets in 2019 and at the same time create novel CGM systems that build on POCTech’s existing technology to address some of the unmet needs of people with diabetes.” said Michael Kloss, CEO, Ascensia Diabetes Care.
Yanan Zhang, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Zhejiang POCTech Co., Ltd., commented: “The collaboration between the two companies is an important milestone to the goal of reaching out to the worldwide market as well as creating our next-generation CGM products. By combining Ascensia’s strength in global marketing, regulatory affairs, quality systems, and capabilities for designing and testing new systems, with POCTech’s expertise in sensor technology, we will together be able to provide the diabetes community with high quality and cost effective products.”
Michael added, “This agreement with POCTech is the key first step in building a world-class CGM franchise for Ascensia. We are aiming to use a combination of partnerships and our own in-house CGM development program to build a pipeline of state-of-the-art CGM products that improve on what is currently available for people with diabetes.”
Ascensia has a long heritage in diabetes care and this co-development agreement will leverage its in-house expertise and capabilities in developing and commercializing diabetes technologies. The partnership will also leverage the world class manufacturing expertise of PHC Corporation*1, who manufacture the CONTOUR® portfolio of meters and sensors.
Ascensia’s extensive R&D experience in this area has led to the introduction of many user centered innovations in diabetes, such as No-Coding*2 technology and Second Chance sampling*3. Ascensia is responsible for the development of the remarkably accurate CONTOUR® NEXT test strip platform and hopes to apply their expertise in sensor development to the next generation of CGM systems through this collaboration.
*1 Wholly-owned subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation.
*2 No calibration required for accurate blood glucose monitoring.
*3 To detect blood sample shortage on a test strip for accurate blood glucose monitoring and enable patients to add more blood to the same test strip within 30 seconds.
About PHC Holdings Corporation
Incorporated in 2014, PHC Holdings Corporation is a global healthcare company. Its subsidiaries include PHC Corporation and Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG. Committed to its corporate mission, “We contribute to the wellbeing of society through our diligent efforts by creating new value propositions for all the people who wish for better health,” the company develops, manufactures, sells and services medical equipment and solutions through its three core businesses for medical devices, healthcare IT and life sciences. PHC Holdings Corporation group’s consolidated net sales in FY2017 was 192.6 billion yen with global distribution of products and services for more than 125 countries. PHC Holdings Corporation changed its name from Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. in April, 2018.
For further information on PHC Holdings Corporation, please visit
www.phchd.com
About Ascensia Diabetes Care
Ascensia Diabetes Care is a global specialist diabetes care company, dedicated to helping people living with diabetes. Our mission is to empower people living with diabetes through innovative solutions that simplify and improve their lives. We use our innovation and specialist expertise in diabetes to develop high quality solutions and tools that make a positive, daily difference for people with diabetes.
Home to the world renowned CONTOUR® portfolio of blood glucose monitoring systems, our products combine advanced technology with user-friendly functionality that help people with diabetes to manage their condition. We are committed to continued research, innovation and development of new products and solutions. As a trusted partner in the diabetes community, we collaborate closely with healthcare professionals and other partners to ensure our products meet the highest standards of accuracy, precision and reliability, and that we conduct our business compliantly and with integrity.
Ascensia Diabetes Care was established in 2016 through the sale of Bayer Diabetes Care to PHC Holdings Corporation. Ascensia Diabetes Care products are sold in more than 125 countries. Ascensia Diabetes Care has around 1,700 employees and operations in 31 countries.
For further information, please visit the Ascensia Diabetes Care website
http://www.ascensia.com
*Ascensia and Contour are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings.
About Zhejiang POCTech Co., Ltd.
Zhejiang POCTech Co., Ltd. is a privately owned medical devices company with a seasoned R&D team of high level experience and expertise in the fundamentals of in vivo sensing products. Since its establishment in 2010 in Huzhou, China, the company’s focus has been on innovative and breakthrough medical biosensor technology.
POCTech’s CE marked product, CT-100B continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, has started entering selected countries worldwide. With continued focus on the next-generation CGM technology and manufacturability, the company aims at providing the diabetes community with highly competitive and reliable CGM products.
For more information about Zhejiang POCTech Co., Ltd., please visit the POCTech website:
http://www.poctechcorp.com/en/