11-May-16 Japan is home to four of the world’s top 10 innovative medical device companies, including the world leader Olympus, according to the 2016 State of Innovation Report. China, Korea, Europe and the US are also listed in the global top 10. The medical devices sector clocked 27% growth in year-on-year patent volume in 2015, followed by pharmaceuticals at 4%. [image: Mestec]

08-May-16 Venture funding in healthcare globally reached a record USD4.5 bn in 302 deals in 2015, a four fold increase since 2011. A new generation of healthcare startups, focussing on the consumer market, has been gaining rapid ground. China, India and Singapore have become hotbeds for healthtech start-ups, most about doctor and clinic discovery. [image: Deal Street Asia]

03-May-16 The China FDA 2015 annual report details a fall in the registration of new medical devices to 7,530 from 8,340 in 2014. Toughening of Chinese regulations may have discouraged some applicants. The proportion of IVDs in the figures is large at 40%, but for imported medical devices there are almost as many new registrations as renewals. [image: Brandwood Biomedical]

21-Apr-16 The Indonesian government has decided to develop its own vaccine with state-owned company PT Bio Farma. The Health Ministry said it would not use the vaccine issued by Sanofi because it did not match with the types of dengue commonly found in Indonesia. [image: Break Dengue]

29-Mar-16 The Swasthya Slate device is a mobile platform that comprises of a hardware device that connects to a digital thermometer, a blood pressure monitor, heart rate sensor, a 3-lead ECG system, and a blood sugar monitor. The goal is to record and store data in the cloud very easily and quickly, says Kanov Kahol, who is credited with conceiving the device. [image: Swasthya]