Cardinal Health has expanded its current distribution agreement with Biosensors, which enables Cordis to be the exclusive distributor for Biosensors' coronary interventional products in Japan.
The company also signed a distribution agreement with Kaneka that enables Cordis to distribute Kaneka's percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) balloon catheters in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America (LATAM) and Asia Pacific, including China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
These agreements further strengthen Cordis' robust product offering in the interventional cardiology space and overall position in the Asia Pacific region.
"This is a pivotal step in our ambition to expand Cordis' strong and diversified portfolio of products within the cardiovascular space in Asia Pacific," said Patrick Holt, president, Cardinal Health Medical Products Asia Pacific.
"We are committed to delivering solutions aligned with government priorities and patient needs to ultimately make a significant contribution to this dynamic region."
Cordis will exclusively distribute Biosensors' BMX-J™ drug-eluting stent (DES) system and bp22-4D PTCA balloon in Japan. This agreement builds on the existing distribution agreement with Biosensors announced in May 2016, which marked Cordis' return to the DES market in select countries in EMEA, Australia and New Zealand.
Biosensors' robust portfolio of products further supports the treatment of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PCI is a nonsurgical procedure that often uses a catheter to place a stent to open blocked coronary arteries.
In the distribution agreement with Kaneka, Cordis will distribute Kaneka's comprehensive portfolio of high-quality, semi- and non-compliant workhorse PTCA balloon catheters. In Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Cordis will distribute versions of Kaneka's PTCA balloon catheters under the names of NEON™ and NEON™ NC. In China, Cordis will be the sole distributor of Ikazuchi Rev and Fortis II, under Kaneka's brand.
Upon their approval* in China, Cordis will also distribute Ikazuchi Zero and Raiden 3. Kaneka's workhorse PTCA balloon catheters have a low-entry profile and new hydrophilic coating that facilitate access to calcified lesions or lesions that require higher crossability.
Despite the majority of premature deaths from the disease being preventable, cardiovascular disease accounts for about 17.5 million deaths annually, an estimated 31% of all deaths worldwide.[1] Asia Pacific is a growing market for interventional cardiology.
It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2014 to 2022, at a much higher rate than the expected CAGR of 2.9% for the global market over the same duration. The global market for interventional cardiology devices is expected to be valued at US$11.16 billion by the end of 2022.[2]
