Leading companies in the medical technology industry have announced that they have formed the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed), focused on advancing patient care. The Association will improve access to high quality healthcare for patients by collaborating with governments, policymakers, and other stakeholders to create innovative solutions and jointly shape the future of healthcare in the region.
Member companies include Abbott, Baxter, B. Braun, BD (Becton Dickinson and Company), Boston Scientific, Cardinal Health, GE Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Philips, Siemens, Stryker and Zimmer. APACMed was formed to address the unmet needs of two-thirds of the world’s population that resides in this region.
“Our aim is to represent the diverse group of innovative medical technology companies and industry associations in the Asia Pacific region,” said Vladimir Makatsaria, Chairman of APACMed. “This is the first time we have combined our efforts to drive access, innovation, and collaboration in order to benefit patients in Asia Pacific. We welcome medical technology companies and associations with a similar vision to join us.”
APACMed will strive to impact policies that advance patient access to quality healthcare. The association will engage in key areas such as the regulatory environment, ethical business standards and compliance, and will help the industry promote innovation and talent development in the region. In addition, it will strive for sustainable development of products and services to address the unmet healthcare needs of the region.
“With the dynamic healthcare landscape, greater collaboration is needed to solve mutual healthcare challenges in innovative ways,” said James Lim Leong Ching, Board Member and President, Greater Asia, BD. “We want to make modern, innovative, and reliable technologies available to patients in Asia Pacific,” he added.
To realize this vision, APACMed has appointed Fredrik Nyberg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association, to work with the industry and its partners to demonstrate the value of innovation in medical technology, promote regulatory harmonization, encourage sustainability, and establish a voluntary code of ethics.
“I’m delighted to join APACMed as CEO,” said Fredrik Nyberg. “As members of the global healthcare community, it is our responsibility to ensure patients have access to the most innovative, life-changing healthcare solutions. It is our hope that APACMed will be a unifying voice for the medical devices and in vitro diagnostics industries in Asia Pacific.”
Mr. Kevin Lai, Executive Director, Biomedical Sciences and Consumer Businesses, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) said, “Many leading medical device companies have established their regional headquarters as well as innovation centers in Singapore. We welcome the establishment of APACMed in Singapore and we believe it will strengthen the medical device industry’s efforts in driving innovation and talent development to better address the healthcare needs in region.”
From December 9-11, APACMed will host the first Asia Pacific Medical Technology Forum in Singapore. More information about this event will be available soon.
