Medtronic opens APac HQ, service & repair center in Singapore

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today it opened a new Asia Pacific regional headquarters, which includes a service and repair center, in Singapore.

The Fridley, Minn.-based company said that along with the opening it inked a deal with SingHealth to develop a “Centre of Excellence” for treating diabetes across Southeast Asia.

“The opening of Medtronic regional headquarters in Singapore marks an important milestone in our growing presence in Asia Pacific. We continue to leverage our regional expertise and partnerships to reach more patients, in more places and through more ways via collaborating with new partners. The rising prevalence of diabetes in the region is driving up healthcare costs and adversely impacting the lives of millions of people. There is tremendous opportunity to improve treatments across the diabetes care continuum via meaningful innovation and collaboration. We are excited to work with SingHealth as our strategic partner to explore new approaches in solving challenges associated with diabetes care,” APac prez Bob White said in a press release.

The diabetes center aims to advance treatment of diabetes in the region, increase education and facilitate the adoption of new diabetes tech, Medtronic said.

“There is an urgent need to tackle the diabetes challenge globally to reduce the burden of the disease. This will require active collaboration between different stakeholders to address the needs of our patients. We see this partnership with Medtronic as an exciting way forward in bringing better diabetes care to our patients, particularly through the adoption of innovative technology,” SingHealth Duke-NUS Diabetes Centre head Dr. Bee Yong Mong said in a prepared statement.

Last week, Medtronic said it inked a collaborative deal with Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) subsidiary Qualcomm Life to develop next-gen continuous glucose monitoring systems.

The companies will initially focus on single-use CGM system designed for physicians who manage type 2 diabetes patients, Medtronic said. Qualcomm Life will aid in the technology development for the wireless, single-use device, as well as a new sensor to provide near-real time and retrospective glucose data, the company said.

The under-development CGM device will feature it Qualcomm Life’s 2net Design platform used to design connected medical devices, including drug delivery and diagnostic devices designed for condition specific therapies, Medtronic said.

The post Medtronic opens APac HQ, service & repair center in Singapore appeared first on MassDevice.

from MassDevice http://ift.tt/1XceufQ