On July 1, DK Medical Technology Co., Ltd. and Medtronic (Shanghai) Management Co., Ltd. held a grand second-phase strategic cooperation signing ceremony in Suzhou Industrial Park. This marks an upgrade in their cooperative relationship since signing the strategic cooperation agreement for the coronary drug-coated balloon project in 2022, ushering in a new starting point for collaboration. Based on a long-term strategic partnership, the two parties will fully cooperate on promoting the Diamond Coronary Scoring Balloon Dilation Catheter in the Chinese market, accelerating the nationwide commercialization of the product. Together, they will explore deeper directions for collaboration in the coronary field, bringing cutting-edge medical technology to more patients and contributing to the construction of "Healthy China."

Mr. Ni Qian, Member of the Working Committee & Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park; Ms. Shao Jing, Member of the Working Committee & Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Jinji Lake Business District; Ms. Liu Haixia, Deputy General Manager of Suzhou Industrial Park Urban Reconstruction Co., Ltd.; Mr. Jason Weidman, Global President of Medtronic's Coronary & Renal Denervation business; Mr. Tao Jia, Vice President of Operations for Medtronic’s Coronary & Renal Denervation business in China; Mr. Weng Yulin, Founder and CEO of DK Medtech; Ms. Cao Shan, Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Corporate Communications for Medtronic Greater China; Ms. Wang Rong, Vice President of Quality Control, Regulatory Affairs, Health Economics Policy and Medical Insurance for Medtronic Greater China; Ms. Zhang Jing, Vice President of Legal Affairs & Compliance and Chief Legal Counsel for Medtronic Greater China, and many other distinguished guests attended the signing ceremony, jointly witnessing this historic moment.

Focus on Clinical Needs, Optimize Coronary Interventional Treatment

Coronary heart disease is a major health threat in China. According to the 2022 China Health Statistics Yearbook, the number of patients in China has reached over 10 million. In recent years, with the increase in the population of coronary heart disease patients in China, the volume of PCI surgeries has also been rising simultaneously. According to data released at the 27th Chinese College of Interventional Cardiology Congress, since 2019, the number of PCI surgeries in China has entered the "million era," with the total registered cases for coronary intervention treatment in mainland China reaching over 1.6 million in 2023.^[2](Excluding cases from military hospitals). Against the backdrop of an increasingly urgent demand for coronary intervention treatments, how to further improve surgical success rates and patients' postoperative prognosis has become a key focus.

Adequate lesion preparation is an essential foundation for the success of PCI procedures, and selecting appropriate plaque modification devices and methods is crucial for achieving optimal lumen gain and improving PCI outcomes. A specialized balloon that offers effective dilation, stability, and excellent deliverability is precisely the tool that clinicians urgently need. In recent years, the rapid development of specialized balloons has made them a key solution for coronary artery stenosis diseases. The Diamond Coronary Scoring Balloon, a product of the collaboration between Medtronic and DK Medtech, belongs to the new generation of specialized balloons. The addition of this product enriches the solutions offered by Medtronic in the field of coronary treatment, benefiting more patients with coronary heart disease.

Building a Win-Win Future —— Key Pathways for Collaboration Between Enterprises and the Government

At the signing ceremony, Ms. Shao Jing pointed out that biomedicine is a strategically emerging industry that Suzhou Industrial Park focuses on fostering and is also the most splendid industrial business card of the park. In the future, the park will aim at the goal of building an open and innovative world-class high-tech park, focus on key areas and links in the development of the biomedical industry, benchmark against the highest standards, allocate optimal resources, concentrate the best policies, create the best ecosystem, closely meet the needs of enterprise development, deepen innovation cooperation, and ensure that outstanding domestic and overseas enterprises, including DK Medtech and Medtronic, can achieve better development within the park. It is expected that with the signing and advancement of new projects by DK Medtech and Medtronic, both parties will leverage their rich practical experience, mature technical platforms, and quality systems to continuously empower the development and technological progress of Suzhou Industrial Park's biomedical industry, creating an even brighter future!

Empowering the Future —— The Responsibility of International Enterprises in a New Era

Mr. Jason Weidman stated that, as a global medical technology enterprise rooted in innovation, Medtronic has witnessed and actively participated in the rapid development and innovation of China's healthcare industry. Over the past 30-plus years of deep engagement in China, Medtronic has not only established a complete industrial chain but also continuously built innovation centers with global influence, actively supporting the development of China’s local healthcare industry. This renewed collaboration with DK Medtech does not merely initiate a new model of cooperation between foreign medical enterprises and emerging local medical companies; it also reaffirms Medtronic’s long-term commitment to the Chinese market. Moving forward, Medtronic will continue to accelerate the advancement of its localized strategy, further promoting the two-way integration of clinical practice and innovation, empowering local innovation, and driving the upgrading and progress of the healthcare industry. We will also, as always, fulfill our corporate mission by improving the accessibility of medical resources and enabling more Chinese patients to benefit from high-quality medical services.

Mapping the Heart's Journey —— A New Ecosystem for Chinese-Made Devices

Mr. Weng Yulin stated that the first localized collaboration between DK Medtech and Medtronic Coronary focused on drug-coated balloon products, making an effective attempt in operational management models. Building on the success of the first partnership, the two parties have joined hands again to initiate the second phase of localized cooperation targeting a new scoring balloon product. In the future, it is hoped that the two companies will continue to leverage their combined strengths, integrate resources, and accelerate the expansion into domestic and international markets, helping "Created in China" go global, enabling more patients to benefit earlier from high-quality domestically produced medical devices, and contributing to public health worldwide. It is also anticipated that this collaboration will become the cornerstone for further deepening the relationship between the two parties, advancing hand in hand towards a brighter future!

Mr. Weng Yulin further shared in an interview with the media that this strategic cooperation marks the first attempt at an OEM model, where Medtronic will be responsible for commercialization, while DK Medtech focuses on research, development, and production. Through this model, we hope to leverage Medtronic's international brand influence to quickly penetrate both domestic and overseas markets. Partnering with Medtronic and utilizing its mature marketing channels can accelerate market access for our products and secure competitive advantages. Additionally, leveraging its international brand influence will help us swiftly expand into domestic and global markets. Moving forward, the company will continue to focus on the coronary balloon product sector, addressing unmet clinical needs by developing targeted and innovative solutions. Secondly, we will actively explore overseas markets, enhancing market trust and expediting entry into foreign markets through collaborations with multinational companies like Medtronic. On this foundation, we will also gradually broaden our product portfolio, adhering to the principle of always developing distinctive and differentiated products to ensure a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Mr. Tao Jia said in an interview that in recent years, Medtronic has fully utilized global resources and local advantages to vigorously promote its localization strategy, accelerating local R&D, production, and training to better serve Chinese doctors and patients. Collaborating with excellent local companies like DK Medtech is an important approach in Medtronic's localization strategy in China. Such collaboration can significantly shorten the time it takes for new technologies to enter the market and enrich Medtronic’s full range of product offerings in the coronary field. Looking ahead, Medtronic’s coronary and renal denervation businesses will continue to invest in the two major disease areas of coronary heart disease and hypertension, continuously iterating on products and optimizing treatment outcomes to benefit more patients. Based on the strong foundation of cooperation and synergy between Medtronic and DK Medtech, the two parties will join hands to explore further potential for collaboration, investigate more innovative cooperation models, and remain committed to bringing more cutting-edge, efficient, and personalized treatment solutions to a wide range of coronary heart disease patients in China, together writing a new chapter in healthcare.

Focusing on Coronary Optimization, Creating a Healthy Future Together! Under the witness of several leaders from Suzhou Industrial Park and two enterprises, the strategic cooperation between DK Medical Technology Co., Ltd. and Medtronic (Shanghai) Management Co., Ltd. has officially commenced. This strategic cooperation marks the renewed collaboration between DK Medtech and Medtronic in the field of coronary intervention optimization. Standing at the new starting point of a win-win cooperation journey, both parties will fully leverage their respective strengths to jointly promote the rapid development of innovative medical technologies within a standardized framework, ensuring that superior medical resources better serve the Chinese market and provide higher quality solutions for patients' interventional treatment needs. Additionally, the innovative business model of both parties has opened up new avenues for enterprise development. It is anticipated that local emerging medical enterprises and foreign-invested medical enterprises will collaborate in broader fields in the future, creating a larger innovation ecosystem to provide Chinese patients with better medical resources and contribute to the realization of the "Healthy China 2023" goals.