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Implantable device to help monitor organ function
Health experts are of the opinion that tiny implantable devices may be used to track organ function in the near future.
It was five years ago that Medtronic released Reveal, a two-inch-long implantable monitor for people suffering from mysterious fainting spells.
The device is implanted in an individual's pectoral muscle and monitors heart activity in a 42-minute loop. A doctor or nurse can retrieve the recorded data at any time and restart the loop.
Experts believe that Reveal is just the beginning for implantable monitors. They envision implants that track blood pressure, heart rates, even pressure in the brain of spina bifida patients, who require fluid-draining shunts, reports Health Scout.
Doctors hope the monitors will cut the cost of treatment and result in fewer visits to hospitals.
[Ref: Times of India, 30/12/2003]
Marketing Alliance to Provide Improved Diabetic Care to the India Patients
B. Braun Medical (I) Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of the $ 2.7 billion German Healthcare Company and USV Limited a 360 Crore ($ 75 million approx.) announced an alliance for marketing B. Braun's Blood Glucose Monitoring System in India. Through this alliance, USV will be marketing Quicktest*, a blood glucose monitoring system to test blood glucose levels. USV will be using their complementary strengths in diabetic care products to develop the market for this product.
USV, incorporated in 1961 as a joint venture with US Vitamins and Pharmaceutical Corporation, New York, USA, a subsidiary of Revlon, is a 100 per cent Indian company since 1986. It is ranked 18th as per ORG and is among the top 10 fastest growing companies in India. USV employs 1,500 personnel and has laid strong emphasis on marketing & R&D activities. The thrust on R&D has resulted in creation of 'Intellectual Property' of its own. It has 7 international & Indian patents to its credit as on date and many more are in the pipeline. USV's manufacturing plants are located at Chiplun and Daman. The Chiplun Plant has been approved by global agencies including the TGA & USFDA.
Besides being a leader in Oral Hypoglycemic Agents (OHAs) in India, USV has made life saving and economical insulin available to the Indian patients through its collaboration with Diosynth B.V., Netherlands. A step towards providing glucose monitoring devices was taken by launching Quicktest* U (Urine Sticks for monitoring of urine glucose) a few months back. However, the gold standard for Self Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) yet remains Glucometers and thus with the introduction of Quicktest* Blood Glucose monitoring system, USV is now in a position to provide complete diabetic care to the Indian patient.
Quicktest* is a latest non-wipe type Glucometer that employs the Biosensors technology. It requires a simple and user-friendly operating procedure with very small sample of 3ul of blood and is free of maintenance; all this at a cost of only Rs. 22.00 per test.
Through this alliance B. Braun aspires to make its state-of-the art Diabetic Care products readily available to the Indian patient. B. Braun India has a turnover of $ 15 million - FY 2001, employing more than 180 people and catering to various therapeutic fields such as hospital & intensive care disposables & equipments, anesthesia products, surgical instruments, clinical nutrition & plasma volume replacements; orthopedic implants, sutures & surgical consumables, equipments for minimal invasive surgery, angioplasty stents, dialysis machines, home care products etc. The company has a state-of-the art-manufacturing unit in Ponda, Goa for its IV Sets & Sutures. B.Braun has ambitious plans to double its turnover by FY 2005 through mainly organic growth, new product launches, strategic alliances & multiple manufacturing units in India.
The MOU between B. Braun & USV was signed by Mr. Ananda K. Naidu (MD, B. Braun Medical India Pvt. Ltd.) Dato. H.P. Brenner (President, B. Braun Asia Pacific), Mr. Prashant Tewari (MD, USV Ltd.) & Mrs. Leena Tewari (Chairperson), USV Ltd.). The signing of the MOU was organized by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce in an effort by the chamber to foster better economic ties between the tow countries. |
