STAMFORD, CT–(Marketwired – November 11, 2015) – ORTHOZON Technologies Inc. (“ORTHOZON” or the “Company”), developers and providers of minimally invasive access technologies for spine surgery, today announced the signing of a distribution agreement appointing GM Medical Pacific Limited (“GM Medical”) the exclusive distributor of the Company’s LUMIERE Minimally Invasive Access System (“LUMIERE” or “LUMIERE System”) in the Asia-Pacific region.
The LUMIERE System enables surgeons to more confidently transition from open spine to minimally invasive surgery (MIS). LUMIERE includes built-in optimally positioned fiber optic lighting that provides more powerful illumination than common headlights. It expands the field of view by over 33% to increase exposure of the spine, and has rotatable translucent blades for maximum control and reduced risk of muscle damage. LUMIERE is single use, packed sterile to reduce the potential for infection.
MIS spine surgery has been shown to offer several advantages over open techniques, including: shorter operating room times and less anesthesia, less blood loss and tissue damage, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, and overall, net cost savings.
“The LUMIERE SYSTEM is ideal for the global spine markets and by partnering with GM Medical we have expanded the opportunity for LUMIERE into some of those that are the fastest growing,” said Joshua Aferzon, ORTHOZON’s Chief Executive Officer. “GM Medical has a strong history of successfully introducing and driving the adoption of orthopedic and spine products in Asia-Pacific where the company has strong relationships with top medical centers and surgeons.”
China, Japan, India, Australia, and South Korea are among the top five economies of the 17 countries served by GM Medical in Asia-Pacific. GM Medical distributes orthopedic devices for several leading medical device companies, as well as offers sales and customer training programs, product regulatory registrations and marketing support.
“Spine surgeons in Asia-Pacific are anxious to expand the numbers of spine surgeries performed using minimally invasive techniques, which makes the timing perfect for the introduction of LUMIERE,” said Patrick Choi, the founder and president of GM Medical. “LUMIERE is a unique enabling product that will assist the surgeon in making the transition from open surgery to MIS which will be of great benefit to patients. LUMIERE is a perfect addition to our spine product portfolio.”
“LUMIERE is an U.S. FDA class I exempt product, so the registration process in most Asia-Pacific countries should not be overly burdensome so GM Medical’s impact on revenues should be in the relative near term,” added President and Chief Operating Officer, Troy Barring. “By combining the size of the markets for spine products in Asia-Pacific with GM Medical’s ability to building markets, we believe we are well positioned for success in the region.”
About GM Medical Pacific Limited
GM Medical is based in Vancouver, Canada with a Distribution and Logistic Center in Hong Kong where products are held pending delivery to customers in Asia-Pacific. Patrick Choi, the founder and President of GM Medical has over 30 years of experience in medical sales and proven track record of success in distributing products in the Asia-Pacific region for such companies as Johnson & Johnson, Guidant, Boston Scientific, Stryker, Aesculap, Welch Allyn, Schering AG and others. GM Medical has a history of developing Asia-Pacific markets and driving the rapid adoption of many innovative new products and procedures including beating heart surgery, the first bare metal stent, first video endoscope, the first trans-myocardial revascularization laser product, the first left ventricular assist device and the first percutaneous ventricular restoration device.
About ORTHOZON Technologies Inc.
ORTHOZON is a medical device company focused on the minimally invasive surgery product market. The Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells innovative surgical access products (commonly referred to as retractors) that enable surgeons to transition from invasive open surgery to MIS-based procedures through a groundbreaking technology platform.
The Company received United States Food and Drug Administration clearance and launched its’ first product, the LUMIERE Minimally Invasive Access System in 2013. LUMIERE has been used in more than 500 hundred surgeries across the U.S. and was named one of the prestigious Top Ten New Advancements for Spine Surgery by Orthopedics This Week.
ORTHOZON and LUMIERE are registered trademarks of ORTHOZON Technologies Inc.