November 1, 2001
Terumo acquires the right to manufacture and sell a new-model automatic peritoneal dialyzer in Japan
from Debiotech S.A., Switzerland.
We are pleased to inform you that Terumo Corporation (head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; president: Takashi Wachi) concluded a contract with Debiotech S.A., a Swiss venture business based in Lausanne, on November 1, 2001 to acquire the exclusive right to manufacture and sell in Japan next-generation automatic peritoneal dialyzer for home use that is being developed by this company.
In automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) treatment, one of the treatments for renal failure, automatic peritoneal dialysis is given to a patient by a machine during the night while the patient is sleeping at home. Since this method frees patients from the need to change dialysis solution about four times during the day, it has recently been widely acknowledged as a treatment that can improve the quality of life of patients, and about 30% of peritoneal dialysis patients in Japan have adopted it. For further penetration of APD treatment, however, there are still some requirements that have to be met such as miniaturization of the equipment, simplification of the procedure, and improvement in dialysis efficiency.
The technology of Debiotech S.A., with which Terumo has concluded the present contract, is aimed at miniaturizing the equipment and optimizing dialysis efficiency, and will enable the development of next-generation equipment that can improve APD treatment further. We believe we will need approximately 2 more years until we can actually manufacture the product.
Terumo has been working on the development of products such as neutral peritoneal dialysis solution, which is considered to place a smaller burden on the peritoneum of patients, and equipments with voice guidance, so that patients can undergo peritoneal dialysis treatment at home with peace of mind.
From now on, we will make efforts to develop the field of home healthcare including peritoneal dialysis as "daily life medicine," in which patients can receive the same treatments as in a hospital while living at home, as an important business mainstay of our company.
