Medtronic Kanghui and ForeMed Enter Strategic Partnership to Advance China's Orthopedic Ecosystem

Shanghai, November 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Medtronic Kanghui Healthcare announced a strategic partnership with Forerunner Medical. This collaboration will further integrate the advantageous resources of both parties to jointly promote the market distribution of some Forerunner products in certain regions of mainland China. The aim is to build a Chinese orthopedic ecosystem, facilitate the accessibility of high-quality medical service resources, and provide patients with more advanced and safer minimally invasive spinal surgery solutions.

The products included in this distribution cooperation encompass the plasma radiofrequency system (ForeMed 360) and bipolar radiofrequency electrodes, among other series. The ForeMed 360 plasma radiofrequency system can be used in minimally invasive spinal surgeries to perform operations such as vaporization, ablation, shrinkage, and hemostasis of soft tissues. It causes minimal damage to tissues and has little impact on spinal stability, achieving true minimally invasive and safe procedures. This collaboration further expands the market coverage and penetration of Forerunner Medical's plasma radiofrequency systems and other products, promoting the adoption of advanced minimally invasive techniques in grassroots markets.

The spine sector is one of the three pillar businesses of Medtronic Kanghui, with a strong market foundation and channel resources in China. The collaboration with Forerunner Medical will create a synergistic spillover effect with Kanghui's current spinal implant business, enhancing Kanghui’s integrated solution capabilities in the spine sector and supporting the local implementation of SURGICAL SYNERGY™, the intelligent and integrated orthopedic solution.

Regarding this cooperation,Ms. Yu Jing, Vice President of Medtronic and General Manager of Medtronic China Orthopedics and Neurosurgery Business"This collaboration represents a cross-brand partnership for Medtronic Kanghui in the orthopedic device field. It is an important step for Kanghui to advance the implementation of intelligent orthopedic solutions, further enhance its product portfolio, and achieve comprehensive market coverage in China’s orthopedic sector. This will also support Kanghui's strategic transformation into a full-scale provider of orthopedic professional solutions. We look forward to working with more partners to accelerate the adoption and dissemination of advanced medical technology solutions, addressing key challenges in China’s healthcare landscape."

Mr. Qin Jie, Founder and Chairman of Forerunner MedicalStated: "We are very pleased that Forerunner Medical can cooperate with industry leaders like Medtronic Kanghui based on ablation equipment. This cooperation is not only a co-construction of the industrial ecosystem but also an innovative, open exploration and integrated development. In the future, we will continue to focus on the development of self-innovative products and collaborate with more partners dedicated to building an innovative medical device industrial ecosystem in China. Together, we will establish close strategic partnerships and contribute to the health cause in China."

At present, the minimally invasive approach in spinal surgery is a major trend for future development, and plasma ablation technology is currently the most advanced minimally invasive spinal technology.ForerunnerForerunner Medical has obtained more than ten NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) registrations in the field of minimally invasive ablation. Its cryoplastic treatment and radiofrequency treatment systems have certain competitive advantages. The cryoplastic treatment and radiofrequency treatment systems, which are researched, developed, and produced by the company, are applied in clinical frontline and can be used for minimally invasive treatments, including spinal disc herniation.

Medtronic's SURGICAL SYNERGY™ Integrated Intelligent Orthopedic Solution is also dedicated to creating a collaborative and integrated intelligent orthopedic solution that meets the needs for efficiency, safety, intelligence, and precision in orthopedic surgeries. It focuses on spinal therapies and procedures, coordinating and collaborating the implants, tools, smart devices, and various energy and power systems used in spinal surgeries through standardized processes. Forerunner Medical’s low-temperature plasma treatment and radiofrequency treatment systems can be integrated into the SURGICAL SYNERGY™ solution as organic components to achieve synergy, empower orthopedic surgeons, and promote the improvement of grassroots discipline standards and diagnostic and treatment capabilities.

In recent years, with the acceleration of aging in Chinese society, the incidence of spinal diseases has been increasing year by year, and China is expected to become the largest orthopedic market globally. In the country’s "14th Five-Year Plan," new requirements for high-quality development in orthopedics have been proposed. It is believed that the innovative collaboration between Medtronic Kanghui and Forerunner Medical will promote regional orthopedic capacity building through the popularization of advanced surgical techniques, advance the implementation of tiered medical care, and benefit a broader patient population.