World's First Wearable Gym: Bionic Resistance Shorts Maker Files for IPO
★ Events and Perspectives
Over the weekend, my WeChat Moments feed was flooded again. This time, it wasn’t about long-distance relationships spanning light-years, but rather a “long-distance romance” finally bearing fruit. The entire screen was filled with news of Liu Qiangdong and “Milk Tea Sister” registering their marriage. You might wonder: does this belong to the tech circle or the entertainment industry? But regardless of which circle it falls into, JD.com isn’t offering any 90% discounts, so what does it have to do with me?
Little did they know, major developments in the internet healthcare sector could easily overshadow the “marriage certificate” news to claim the headlines.
For example,FDA Approves Production of the World’s First 3D-Printed Pill.
Recently, the FDA officially approved Aprecia Pharmaceuticals’ SPRITAM levetiracetam tablets, which are manufactured using 3D printing technology. These tablets utilize a porous formulation that allows them to dissolve rapidly with just a small sip of liquid. This significantly enhances medication comfort for patients who have difficulty swallowing pills, particularly when high doses are required.
In addition,The FDA also plans to establish a platform named “precisionFDA.”. Moreover, it has signed its first collaboration agreement with the renowned bioinformatics company DNAnexus. Although the deal is valued at only $850,000, both parties have described it as a highly significant step.
Therefore,
For example,U.S. Hospitals Begin Using Big Data to Predict Who Will Fall Ill.
Faced with sudden illnesses, hospitals and patients are often caught off guard, and delays in treatment frequently result in patient deaths. According to a report by BusinessWeek, healthcare systems in the Carolinas have begun leveraging big data for medical prevention among high-risk patients. By integrating user data from 2 million individuals into an algorithm tailored for high-risk patients, these systems assess the likelihood of disease onset, thereby enabling medical interventions before patients actually fall ill.
Turning to the domestic market,Public Hospitals Achieve “First” in Franchising Breakthrough.
Last week, Beijing Anzhen Hospital and China Orient Asset Management Corporation, which is directly under the Ministry of Finance, were approved to establish China’s first pilot hospital under a “franchise” model. Currently, both parties are negotiating issues such as the nature of the hospital and “veto rights,” while “medical insurance coverage” and “return on investment” remain uncertainties in the cooperation. The new hospital is tentatively named “Anzhen International Hospital” and will specialize in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, while also providing comprehensive internal medicine, general surgery, and healthcare services for women and children.
Franchising, which refers to public hospitals "franchising" social capital for "operation." As this is a first in China, truly joining hands will still face many challenges. Therefore, it is necessary to have
By-Health holds a stake in Zhuhai Lanhai Zhilue.
Last week, By-Health invested RMB 26 million of its own funds to acquire an equity stake in Zhuhai Blue Ocean Medical Co., Ltd. Zhuhai Blue Ocean will become one of By-Health’s partners in building a comprehensive health industry ecosystem, collaborating with By-Health in areas such as internet healthcare and health management services. Upon completion of the transaction, By-Health will hold a 2% equity interest in Zhuhai Blue Ocean.
They are equally ambitious.
IBM Acquires Medical Imaging Company Merge for $1 Billion.
Last week, IBM announced its $1 billion acquisition of medical imaging company Merge Healthcare and its integration with the newly established Watson Health. This move will enable Watson not only to interpret medical images but also to perform analytical diagnostics by leveraging vast electronic health record databases. With this acquisition, IBM will gain access to 7,500 healthcare websites across the United States, marking another disruptive advancement for Watson in the healthcare industry.
Adidas Acquires Fitness App Developer Runtastic for €220 Million
According to Reuters, sports brand Adidas has acquired fitness data tracking app developer Runtastic for €220 million (approximately $239 million). Given Runtastic’s current base of 70 million active users, the acquisition will help enhance Adidas’ competitiveness in the era of wearable smart devices.
In leveraging fitness data-tracking applications, its competitor Nike took an early lead. Nike began collaborating with Apple as early as 2006, launching the Nike+ program compatible with iPods and iPhones; subsequently, in 2012, it introduced its self-operated FuelBand smart wristband. In contrast, Adidas, which has been continuously losing market share, did not launch its own branded miCoach fitness wearable device until last year.
There is a saying that,
Winning Health Technology Group acquired an 11.70% equity stake in Haoyitong for RMB 13.23 million.
Last week, Winning Health Technology Group Co., Ltd. announced its plan to use RMB 13.23 million of its own funds to acquire an 11.70% equity stake in Shanghai Haoyitong. The announcement stated that Health Cloud is a crucial component of Winning Health’s “Internet + Healthcare” services. Investing in Haoyitong deepens the open layout of Winning Health’s Health Cloud and represents a significant step in advancing the company’s diversified development strategy for Health Cloud. Haoyitong’s substantial existing customer base and other resources will directly provide a certain volume of entry points for health services, service resources, and innovative, profitable business opportunities. This will, to some extent, enhance the company’s ability to build products and services centered on addressing patient pain points within the realm of personal health, thereby attracting and retaining more consumer-end (C-end) users. This move holds significant importance for Winning Health’s deployment of Health Cloud and the further refinement of the ecological industry chain for its “Internet + Healthcare” services.
The following one is even more audacious.
Shanxi Province: RMB 5.948 Billion in Private Capital Poured into the Healthcare Sector
As Shanxi Province has continued to strengthen its support for privately operated medical institutions, guided by policies promoting such development, an increasing amount of private capital has been invested in the healthcare services sector. Statistical data released last week by the Shanxi Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission showed that from early 2014 to July 2015, Shanxi Province attracted RMB 5.948 billion in private capital into the privately operated healthcare sector. Among these investments, four major construction projects—the South Campus of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Anderson Cancer Hospital, Yuncheng First Hospital, and Taiyuan Yunshui Hospital—accounted for a total of RMB 4.476 billion in attracted investment.
As always,
All of the above seem rather detrimental to health, so let’s turn to something more down-to-earth and healthy!
First, WeChat released the “Smart Pharmacy” solution.
Last week, at the WeChat Smart Workshop Guangzhou Station, the WeChat team unveiled the “WeChat Smart Pharmacy” solution for the first time on-site, aiming to connect users with pharmacies through WeChat. According to the introduction, after adopting the WeChat Smart Healthcare solution, traditional pharmacies will transform into “smart pharmacies,” enabling online services such as preliminary consultations, medication delivery, profile creation, WeChat Pay, loyalty points, medication reminders, as well as follow-up health communication and participation in marketing campaigns.
Previously, on the hospital services front, WeChat launched a smart hospital solution similar to Alipay’s “Future Hospital” initiative and introduced the “WeRun” sharing platform for current health wearable devices. However, overall, WeChat’s healthcare ecosystem remains fragmented, with no effective integration or resource sharing established.
so，
“The American Dianping” Yelp helps you find the hospitals with the best reputations.
Yelp, often referred to as the “U.S. version of Dianping,” announced last week that it will launch a “Hospital Reviews” feature. Going forward, patients can use Yelp before seeking medical care—much like they do before dining out—to view detailed information and user reviews for hospitals and clinics listed by geographic location or user-entered keywords. This will help them identify the most suitable or highest-rated facilities for their needs. Currently, more than 25,000 hospitals and clinics in the United States are listed on Yelp.
How should I put it,
"The road ahead is long and arduous."
Johnson & Johnson Launches Digital Health Assessment Tool, myhealthdiscovery.
It is described as “helping your members in a brand-new way to embark on a path toward vitality and longevity.” It connects individuals with their behaviors and values, encouraging them to take proactive steps in a new direction to comprehensively improve their health.
According to Med City News, the product is offered by insurance companies and aims to improve users’ health and outcomes by asking the right questions. The process begins with a questionnaire that encourages users to complete it. Once they have finished, the program generates a list of actionable items based on their feedback.
“The world’s first wearable gym” is a pair of shorts.
Fitness startup Apex Resistance and Conditioning has invented a pair of shorts that its co-founder, Adrian Cornish, calls the “world’s first wearable gym.” These futuristic-looking pants, equipped with resistance bands, are named Bionic Resistance Shorts.
The elastic waistband and durable fabric of the fitness shorts provide resistance during exercise, thereby enhancing users’ workout effectiveness. Cornish and his other co-founder, Nathan Roy, launched these $99.99 shorts three weeks ago at the Louisiana Enterprise and Technology Center in the LSU Innovation Park at Louisiana State University. They have sold approximately 60 pairs to date.
This indicates that,
What you would never have expected is this: the world’s largest arms manufacturer has entered the healthcare industry.
Lockheed Martin, the largest U.S. defense contractor controlling 40% of the global defense market, recently announced the establishment of a healthcare industry alliance and engaged in brainstorming sessions with relevant U.S. government agencies and academic institutions last week to explore the future of the healthcare sector.
The full name of this alliance is the Healthcare Technology Alliance, which aims to jointly address some of the most significant issues and challenges currently facing the healthcare sector, such as how to deliver precision medication, how to protect patient privacy in the era of big data, how to improve the health outcomes of veterans, and how to build a mature medical research workforce in the future.
As early as the autumn of 2014, Lockheed Martin acquired Systems Made Simple, a health information technology company specializing in electronic medical record systems that collaborated with the Department of Veterans Affairs, thereby entering the field of internet healthcare. Early this year, it further established a partnership with Illumina, a manufacturer of gene sequencing instruments. The two companies will focus on aggregating and analyzing big health data, jointly researching the human genome map, and exploring personalized medical solutions based on DNA.
Sigh, the world is changing too fast for us to adapt.
Another “newcomer” entering the internet healthcare sector is Kunming Pharmaceutical Group.
Last week, Kunming Pharmaceutical Group announced plans to invest RMB 10 million to establish a wholly-owned new media subsidiary in Beijing. The actual investment will be injected in installments based on business progress, with full efforts dedicated to incubating two major projects: the “Physician Community” and the “Patient Community.”
★ VCBeat Exclusive
Why Is Entrepreneurship in the Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Field Gaining Momentum? The Internet Healthcare Research Institute Takes Action Again
“Medical Imaging Special Report”: Data Reveals Who Your Strongest Competitors Are
Why Did Medical Consulting Firm Evolent Health Make a Spectacular IPO in Just Four Years?
The 30 Most Notable Healthcare Startups to Watch in 2015: Tidepool—An Intelligent Management Platform Developed for Patients with Type 1 Diabetes
Ipsos “2015 Digital Doctor Report”: What Do Doctors Really Want? They Don’t Know Either!
How Impressive Is the Apple Watch’s Heart Rate Monitoring? Hear from Doctors and Patients
“How Does ‘Palm Sugar Doctor’ Reconstruct User Experience?”
JD Crowdfunding to Launch the World’s Smallest Wearable Air Quality Monitor: Feng Xiaoliu D1 Series
Winter TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine Is More Suited for Mobile Healthcare Than Western Medicine
Medical Imaging Series Report 12:Huaxia Pathology Network: What Keeps Over 90% of China’s Pathologists Engaged
Medical Imaging Series 13:Pai Yi Pai: Accumulating Big Data in the Healthcare Industry by Interpreting Laboratory Test Results
[Essentials] VCBeat’s Comprehensive Review of the Healthcare Ecosystem: Medical Imaging Special (Series I): Curated Report Interpretations
VB Insights Salon Series No. 7 |Gu Xuefei from the National Health and Family Planning Commission Shares Insights on Medical Insurance, Health Management, and Internet Healthcare
Interpretation of Hot English Terms in Internet Healthcare:Epharmacy/ePrescription
★Healthcare Reform
Adjustments to medical service prices will be made through measures such as price reductions and the elimination of markups:Fu Wei, head of the Public Hospitals Group and Policy Group under the State Council’s Office of Healthcare Reform, stated last week that future efforts should focus on improving drug bidding and procurement processes and advancing reforms in the distribution sector for drugs and medical consumables. These measures aim to effectively curb artificially inflated prices for drugs and medical consumables, while also strengthening oversight of medical service practices. By reducing prices and standardizing prescribing behaviors, both volume and price can be lowered simultaneously. The fiscal space created by abolishing the 15% drug markup will then be utilized to adjust medical service pricing.
★Data
Cardiovascular disease mortality ranks as the leading cause of death among urban and rural residents:The Chinese Science and Technology Core Journal "Chinese Circulation Journal" published the contents of the 2014 Report on Cardiovascular Diseases in China. The report pointed out that cardiovascular disease deaths accounted for the leading cause of death among urban and rural residents, with rates of 44.8% in rural areas and 41.9% in urban areas. It is estimated that there are 290 million patients with cardiovascular diseases nationwide, including 270 million with hypertension, at least 7 million with stroke, 2.5 million with myocardial infarction, 4.5 million with heart failure, 5 million with cor pulmonale, 2.5 million with rheumatic heart disease, and 2 million with congenital heart disease. One in every five adults suffers from cardiovascular disease.
The largest market for wearable devices is in the healthcare sector, accounting for more than 50%:According to data from the U.S. research firm ABI Research, only 20.77 million wireless wearable health sensors were applied in the medical field in 2011; in 2012, this figure surpassed 30 million. Over the next five years, the number of such devices is projected to grow to 170 million.
Total advertising expenditure for pharmaceutical brands reached RMB 66.37 million:According to the latest data from iAdTracker, an online advertising monitoring system, total spending on pharmaceutical brand advertisements reached RMB 66.37 million in June 2015. Among them, Sanjiu Pharmaceutical ranked first with ad spending of RMB 8.6 million; Herbalife ranked second with RMB 6.5 million; and Gankang Pharmaceutical ranked third with RMB 5.75 million.
In addition, in June 2015, online advertising expenditures for pharmaceutical brands were primarily concentrated on video streaming platforms and web portals. Specifically, spending on video streaming platforms reached RMB 31.03 million, accounting for 46.7% of the total advertising expenditure; spending on web portals amounted to RMB 21.94 million, representing 33.1% of the total. Combined, these two channels accounted for 79.8% of the total advertising expenditure.
China's Medical Device Industry Generated RMB 108.092 Billion in Revenue in the First Half of 2015:According to data released by AskCI Consulting, in the first half of 2015, the medical device industry achieved cumulative operating revenue of RMB 108.092 billion and cumulative total profits of RMB 9.244 billion, with year-on-year growth rates of 12.05% and 4.71%, respectively. During the same period, the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry recorded cumulative operating revenue of RMB 1,173.551 billion and cumulative total profits of RMB 120.710 billion, with year-on-year growth rates of 8.76% and 13.55%, respectively.
Langma Information’s H1 Net Profit Surges 129% Year-on-Year, Driven by Internet Healthcare:Last week, Longma Information released its 2015 semi-annual report. The company’s total operating revenue for the first half of the year reached RMB 157 million, a year-on-year increase of 150.87%. Net profit amounted to RMB 34.9032 million, up 128.82% year on year, with basic earnings per share at RMB 0.10. According to the semi-annual report, the performance growth was primarily driven by the development of its internet healthcare business and the divestiture of non-medical operations.
The Company stated that 39 Health, under Qisheng Information, as a leading vertical healthcare portal in China, has continuously consolidated its industry position, driving steady growth in its healthcare information service revenue. During the reporting period, it achieved internet healthcare advertising revenue of RMB 61.5707 million and healthcare telecommunications value-added service revenue of RMB 10.1032 million.
So stop saying you haven’t made any money yet.
★New Technologies
●Pancreatic Cancer Urine Test Achieves Up to 90% Accuracy
Scientists from the United Kingdom and Spain have developed a novel urine test method that holds promise for improving the efficiency of pancreatic cancer detection. In their study, the scientists analyzed approximately 500 urine samples, including around 200 from patients with confirmed pancreatic cancer, 92 from patients with chronic pancreatitis, 87 from healthy volunteers, and the remainder from individuals with other conditions, such as liver cancer, serving as controls. The researchers subsequently evaluated more than 1,500 protein biomarkers and ultimately identified three proteins—LYVE1, REG1A, and TFF1—as potential diagnostic markers.
The results showed that the levels of these three proteins were significantly elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer, whereas they were lower in patients with chronic pancreatitis. The accuracy of this detection method can reach up to 90%. Researchers are currently conducting further studies on this novel detection method.
●EU Develops Smart Acoustic Sensors for Urban Environments
The EAR-IT research and development team, funded by the European Union, has developed an Intelligent Acoustic Sensor that has been successfully deployed in Santander, Spain. This sensor integrates advanced acoustic analysis technologies to effectively and intelligently identify various captured sounds, thereby facilitating the management of traffic, energy consumption, and environmental protection. These capabilities contribute to making cities more convenient, comfortable, and sustainable. Building on the development of this Intelligent Acoustic Sensor, the project’s R&D team is actively working to establish an urban “Acoustic Infrastructure” to further enhance the level of urban intelligence.
●New Processor Diagnoses Asthma and Tuberculosis
Scientists from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and other institutions have developed a novel point-of-care device for diagnosing asthma and tuberculosis. This device utilizes ultrasound for fluid mixing to analyze saliva samples from patients with pulmonary diseases, such as tuberculosis or asthma, enabling diagnostic assessment.
●South Korean Engineers Develop Braille Smartwatch
South Korean engineers have announced the design of the world’s first smartwatch for the blind, featuring Braille functionality. Named “Dot,” the device incorporates raised dot cells that enable blind users to read or perceive text. It allows users to access textual information or entire e-books through haptic technology. The watch also includes built-in motors to alert wearers to new messages sent from their smartphones. In addition, it offers standard watch features such as alarms and navigation. Furthermore, the device can serve as an educational tool, gradually teaching individuals with visual impairments how to read Braille.
The device is expected to be priced at no less than $300.
● The latest imaging technology, ATUM, can generate 3D images of brain neurons at the nanoscale.
U.S. Scientists Create Stunning 3D Brain Images Using New Imaging Technology, Revealing Individual Neurons with Unprecedented Precision. These 3D images are synthesized from a series of high-resolution scans, capable of displaying details ranging from one-millionth of a millimeter to the nanometer scale.
Researchers hope that these images will reveal abnormal connections between brain cells in patients with neurological disorders such as bipolar disorder or depression.
★Capital
