Mauna Kea and Fujifilm to jointly develop China optical biopsy market

PARIS – Cellvizio, the optical biopsy device from Mauna Kea Technologies, has received State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) approval in China, one of the fastest growing, largest medical device markets in the world. Concurrently, Mauna Kea has entered into a strategic partnership with FUJIFILM (China) Investment Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation. The partners will work together to develop the Cellvizio market throughout China in various indications.

"We are pleased to add Cellvizio to our broad portfolio of endoscopic products that we offer physicians throughout China," said Koji Yokota, president of Fujifilm China. "Optical biopsies allow physicians to diagnose and treat their patients in real time and are a true differentiating factor in endoscopy. Cellvizio will complement and enhance our own proprietary suite of advanced endoscopic imaging devices and systems."

Fujifilm benefits from an exponential growth in its endoscopy market in China and has established strong distribution network all over the country. There are 800 advanced endoscopy centers in tertiary referral hospitals in China, which will constitute the primary target for Cellvizio.

"Fujifilm is the ideal partner to help us penetrate the Chinese market and offer physicians across the most populous country in the world access to Cellvizio," said Sacha Loiseau, CEO of Mauna Kea Technologies. "Chinese endoscopists have been eagerly waiting for Cellvizio to be available in China. SFDA approval is a significant milestone for the company and strengthens our footprint around the globe, since Cellvizio is now available in more than 40 countries and used by hundreds of physicians."

During 2012 to 2017, the Chinese medical device market* is estimated to grow at a rate of approximately 20.2% per year, making it one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The latest annual data up to December 2011 show that imports of medical devices have grown very strongly during the period, rising by 26.6% to reach more than €6.5 billion.

* The Medical Device Market: China (2012). Espicom Medical Market Research Reports. Dec 6, 2012.

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