Source: TaiwanJ Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.

ISTANBUL, March 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — MLP Sağlık Hizmetleri A.Ş. (“MLP Care”) (BIST: MPARK), the leading private healthcare service provider in Turkey, today announces its financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2018.

¹ Excluding the contribution from hospitals opened in 2018
² Based on Reported EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization) /EBITDAR (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization, Rent Expenses) adjusted for one-time (income) / expenses, net and non-cash GAAP provision expenses

Financial Highlights

• In Q4 2018, revenues increased to TL880 million, up by 25.3% vs. Q4 2017. Revenues in 2018 were TL3,132 million, up by 21.6% vs. last year (2017: TL2,576 million). When revenues of managed hospitals were included, revenue growth in Q4 2018 was 29.1% and in 2018 was 27.7%.
• Adj. EBITDA increased by 20.3% in Q4 2018, bringing 2018 EBITDA growth to 23.5% vs. last year.
• When normalized for the negative EBITDA contribution from hospitals opened in 2018, comparable EBITDA growth was 22.9% in Q4 2018 and 29.7% in 2018.
• In 4Q 2018, a net profit of TL39 million was recorded due to strong operational performance, lower financial expenses and FX losses.
• A net loss of TL104 million was recorded in 2018 due to the TL245 million of FX losses from the hard currency denominated debt (2017: Net loss: TL133 million, FX losses: TL168 million). Net profit normalized for FX losses increased from TL35 million in 2017 to TL142 million in 2018.
• The net debt/Adj. EBITDA ratio declined to 2.5x at the end of 2018 compared to 3.4x a year ago.

Operating Highlights

• The ramp up of the new hospitals opened in 2018 is on track.
• Continued focus on maintaining strong growth in medical tourism (11% of in total revenues in 2018 vs. 7% last year).
• All of the FX denominated hospital building lease agreements converted to TL as of October 2018.
• Efficiency initiatives in place to improve margins.

Dr. Muharrem Usta, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MLP Care, commented:

“We are very pleased to complete 2018 with delivering operational results above expectations and fulfilling promises given to investors during the initial public offering.

“We have focused on the successful ramp up of the two new hospitals opened in 2018 as well as operational improvements to increase patient satisfaction and effective cost management across all our hospitals. Our foreign medical tourism revenues maintained its high growth momentum in 2018. In the last quarter of 2018, we posted net profit thanks to continued growth in EBITDA and appreciation of TL.

“We, as MLP Care, will continue to focus on initiatives for further operational efficiency and to create value for our patients and stakeholders as well as our country.”

ENQUIRIES

For financial reports and further information regarding MLP Care, please visit our website at http://investor.mlpcare.com/en/ or you may contact:

Vision for Balance campaign strives to break down stigmas preventing women from wearing glasses.

DALLAS, March 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — This International Women’s Day the Vision Impact Institute is highlighting the critical role good vision plays in creating a more balanced world for women and girls. Today, the organization launched the Vision for Balance campaign to encourage women and girls to share how good vision has positively impacted their lives.

Around the world, women and girls face barriers to seeing well, including lack of awareness, limited access to vision care, and cultural stigmas against wearing spectacles.  “Globally, women make up 55 percent of all people with vision impairment and two-thirds of the world’s blind, so it’s crucial that they have access to vision correction,” says Kristan Gross, Global Executive Director, Vision Impact Institute. “In many places, a woman or girl who wears a pair of glasses, faces long-perpetuated stigmas, often tied to her potential for marriage. This can result in lost opportunities for an education or job that may change the trajectory of her future.”

A recent study of rural Indian students ages 7 to 15, suggests that the rate of myopia is higher in girls, indicating that the need for correction is greater in girls than with their male peers. Yet another study of students in Grades 8 to 10 identified the need for education to dissolve barriers to spectacle wear, finding that 32% of students avoided spectacles so as not to be seen as “unattractive to the opposite sex” – 65% of these students were girls.

“When a woman or girl wears glasses it’s important that she sees herself as a confident member of society with the ability to reach her highest potential,” says Gross.

The Vision for Balance Campaign runs through March 31. To participate, readers can share their story here: https://visionimpactinstitute.org/vision-for-balance/

About the Vision Impact Institute
The Vision Impact Institute’s mission is to raise awareness of the importance of vision correction and protection to make good vision a global priority.

The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which receives support from the Vision for Life Fund from Essilor, the world leader in ophthalmic optics. The Vision Impact Institute hosts an interactive web platform, a unique database of research, available at visionimpactinstitute.org.

Contact Information
Andrea Kirsten-Coleman
Global Communications Manager
andrea.kirsten@visionimpactinstitute.org

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/832636/Vision_Impact_Institute_International_Womens_Day.jpg 
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/832635/Vision_Impact_Institute_Logo.jpg  

MONTREAL, March 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Clementia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CMTA) is pleased to announce that it has obtained an interim order from the Québec Superior Court in connection with the previously announced plan of arrangement pursuant to which a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ipsen S.A. is proposing to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Clementia for US$25.00 per share in cash upfront on completion of the transaction plus a deferred payment on the achievement of a future regulatory milestone in the form of a contingent value right (CVR) of US$6.00 per share payable upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acceptance of the New Drug Application (NDA) filing for palovarotene for the treatment of multiple osteochondromas (MO) on or prior to December 31, 2024. 

The interim order authorizes Clementia to call and hold on April 9, 2019 a special meeting of the holders of its common shares to approve the transaction. The transaction will require the approval of at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting as well as the approval of a majority of the votes cast by the Clementia’s disinterested shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting.

Clementia has set March 8, 2019 as the record date for the determination of the shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the meeting.

Further details regarding the transaction and the procedure for shareholders to vote their common shares will be included in the management information circular, the letter of transmittal and the related proxy materials in respect of the meeting, which are expected to be mailed and made available on SEDAR and EDGAR on or about March 13, 2019.

BDC Capital and New Enterprises Associates Enter into Support and Voting Agreements

Clementia also announces that following the announcement of the transaction, BDC Capital Inc. and New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P., who respectively own approximately 14.0% and 7.1% of the issued and outstanding common shares, have each entered into a support and voting agreement pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their common shares in favour of the special resolution approving the transaction. Considering the previously announced support and voting agreements entered into by OrbiMed Private Investments IV, LP and the directors and certain officers of Clementia, shareholders owning approximately 51.7% of Clementia’s issued and outstanding common shares have now agreed to vote their common shares in favour of the transaction.

About Clementia Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Clementia is a clinical-stage company innovating treatments for people with ultra-rare bone disorders and other diseases with high medical need. Clementia is preparing to submit an NDA in the second half of 2019 to seek approval of its lead product candidate, palovarotene, a novel RARγ agonist, for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). The ongoing Phase 3 MOVE Trial is evaluating an additional dosing regimen of investigational palovarotene for the treatment of FOP. Palovarotene is also in a Phase 2 trial, the MO-Ped Trial, for the treatment of MO, also known as multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE). In addition, Clementia has commenced a Phase 1 trial for an eye drop formulation of palovarotene for the potential treatment of dry eye disease and is also investigating other conditions that may benefit from RARγ therapy. For more information, please visit www.clementiapharma.com and connect with us on Twitter @ClementiaPharma.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may include “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the applicable securities laws, including with respect to the timing and completion of the arrangement, the proposed timing of filings and submissions with the FDA for palovarotene and the impact of the proposed transaction on Clementia and the operations of Clementia post-transaction. Each forward-looking statement contained in this press release is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results and those expressed or implied by such statement. In addition to statements which explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms “believes”, “belief,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “will,” or “plans” to be uncertain and forward-looking. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risk that a condition to closing of the arrangement may not be satisfied, the risk that any required shareholder, court or applicable regulatory approvals for the arrangement may not be obtained or be obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated, the outcome of the FDA approval of palovarotene product candidate for the treatment of MO, Clementia’s ability to successfully complete in a timely manner the studies required to be completed in order to submit the NDA, Clementia’s ability to generate revenue and become profitable, the risks related to its heavy reliance on palovarotene, its only current product candidate, the risks associated with the development of palovarotene and any future product candidate, including the demonstration of efficacy and safety, Clementia’s dependence on licensed intellectual property, including the ability to source and maintain licenses from third-party owners; as well as the risks identified in Clementia’s public filings with the SEC and the Québec Autorité des Marchés Financiers. Clementia cautions investors not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release when making an investment decision in their securities. Investors are encouraged to read Clementia’s filings with the SEC or on SEDAR, available at www.sec.gov or www.sedar.com, for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and Clementia undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

For further information:
Financial Community: Joseph Walewicz, EVP, Business and Corporate Development, +1 (514) 940-1080, investors@clementiapharma.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/832572/Clementia_Logo.jpg

Source: Clementia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

SUNNYVALE, California and GENEVA, March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ —

Search continues for innovators in the tech and vaping industry  

Plug and Play, a global leader in technology incubators, has partnered with JTI to run Vapetech, a program aimed at bringing together innovators and data experts to develop technology that improves the experience and health benefits of vaping. This global program will operate from Silicon Valley and launch with a first batch of selected start-ups on March 11, 2019.

“At Plug and Play we are always interested to support innovation in new industries. We believe vaping has the potential to reduce the health risks from smoking. Our goal is to identify the next generation of products and services, and by connecting them with JTI and others, we will continue to push forward innovation in this industry,” said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play.

Through a global application and sourcing process, Plug and Play, supported by JTI, will each year select about 20 start-ups who will develop ideas and solutions for a more enhanced vaping experience. Start-ups with new devices or technology applicable to IoT (Internet of Things), Biometrics, Data, and Lifestyle will enter a three-month program to develop their product and services and have access to investment and corporate partnerships.

“With the rapid rise of vaping products, the dynamics of innovation in our industry have changed drastically. In addition to our own R&D, Vapetech will allow us to explore and develop consumer relevant features for the next generation of products and services. It will also extend our network to new sets of entrepreneurs offering disruptive ideas to empower a future of choice in the vaping sector,” said Daniel Torras, JTI’s Senior Vice President, Reduced-Risk Products.

JTI has been in the vaping business since 2011. With the e-cigarettes brand Logic and the heated tobacco brand Ploom, it is currently present in 14 countries. The vaping business is evolving fast, with strong growth rates in both categories. This growth is fueled by the increasing consumer demand for cigarette alternatives and the launch of more satisfying products.

About Plug and Play 

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 280 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com.

About JTI 

JTI is a leading international tobacco company with operations in more than 130 countries. It is the global owner of both Winston, the number two cigarette brand in the world, and Camel, outside the USA and has the largest share in sales for both brands. Other global brands include Mevius and LD. With its internationally recognized brand Logic, JTI is also a major player in the e-cigarette market and has, since 2011, been present in the heated tobacco category with Ploom. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, JTI employs over 45,000 people and was awarded Global Top Employer for five consecutive years. JTI is a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies. For more information, visit http://www.jti.com.

Animal Health & Feed Zone of CPhI China 2019
June 18-20, 2019, Hall E7 SNIEC, Shanghai, China
Organizer: UBM EMEA, CCCMHPIE
Co-organizer: UBM Sinoexpo

SHANGHAI, March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The size of the global veterinary drug market continues to grow as the market continues to develop. According to the forecast of the Forward Industry Research Institute, size of the global veterinary drug market will maintain about 7.3% average annual growth from 2017 to 2022, and is expected to reach RMB537.2 billion in 2022. China’s veterinary drug field is now experiencing a period of rapid growth, but the gap between production and demand is still huge with the increase of people’s demand for animal protein and advancement of the large-scale and intensive degree of China’s livestock breeding. The total output value of veterinary drugs in China increased from RMB21.171 billion in 2008 to RMB52.2 billion in 2017, with the compound annual growth rate of about 11%, and China has become one of the countries with the fastest developing veterinary drug industries.

By 2018, there have been over 600 veterinary drugs of nearly 150 overseas veterinary drug enterprises registered and marketed in China, mainly from the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, Germany, and other big pharmaceutical countries, with annual sales of about RMB5 billion. In terms of product type, most of them are vaccine or medicinal feed additives, with fewer pharmaceutical preparations; in terms of product attributes, vaccine products for pigs, poultry, and pets accounted for the highest sales proportion, with total value of RMB657 million, while imported chemical drug products were mostly medicinal feed additives, antibiotics, and anthelmintics, with total market value of about RMB489 million. Besides imported pharmaceutical products, Pfizer, Bayer, and other pharmaceutical giants have invested to build factories in China since 1980s, which have developed targeted products based on characteristics of the Chinese market through long-term and extensive market research, and upon product quality, brands, and technical advantages, rapidly opened the gate of high-end veterinary drug product consumption, seized the shares of the Chinese veterinary drug market, and provided more choices for circulation of the veterinary drug products.

Large international veterinary drug manufacturers have continued to improve their strength through acquisition, and produced far-reaching impacts on the veterinary drug industries of the developing countries through their financial, technical, and market advantages. To ensure the safety of the Chinese livestock industry, the Chinese government has gradually strengthened support to and regulation on the veterinary drug industry and it encourages the Chinese veterinary drug manufacturers to strengthen technology and product R&D to reduce the gap with overseas leading enterprises. China is increasingly drawing the attention of multinational groups in the outsourcing market competition as a big API exporter. Export volume of Shandong Qilu King-Phar, Lifecome Biochemistry, and Jinhe Biotechnology reached 10,000 tons in Jan-Sep 2018, and the export value of each exceeded USD25 million.

As a result, the global pharmaceutical giants have set their sights on the Chinese market. Well-known companies have competed to conduct investment layout in China over the years, and have spoken highly of the position of the Chinese market. The market, despite its size, has a limited total amount, and the competition in China’s animal health market has become heated. There have been overseas enterprises that established animal health product facilities and set up R&D centers in China as early as 2009. And in addition to the vaccine and veterinary drug enterprises, some international enterprises that focus on animal nutrition, health, and feed additives have also increased their investments in the Chinese market. The paramount consideration for the heavy investments of the international enterprises in the Chinese market is the huge market capacity of China as a power in the global breeding industry: China is a big country of live pig and poultry breeding, accounting for a half of the global share, and this scale continues to grow. Actual gains and development obtained by the international enterprises in the Chinese market have also boosted their confidence in investing the Chinese market.

Animal Health & Feed Zone of CPhI China 2019

Scale of the zone to be upgraded again, to help veterinary drug enterprises lay out the global market

To help the veterinary drug industry achieve sound development throughout the industrial chain and meet the strong demand in the veterinary drug market, the Animal Health & Feed Zone, one of the characteristic segments of the CPhI China 2019 hosted by UBM EMEA and China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products (CCCMHPIE) and co-sponsored by Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Co., Ltd., will upgrade its scale again in Hall E7, Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) on June 18-20, 2019. The exhibition has already attracted a large number of veterinary drug and feed exporters such as China Animal Husbandry, Shandong Shengli, Lifecome Biochemistry, Shandong Luxi Animal Medicine, and Hebei Veyong to join.

With the strong professional network and data resources of the host, the exhibition is expected to attract over 70,000 visits of overseas and Chinese visitors. CPhI China, the trade and exchange platform for the pharmaceutical industry second to none in Asia, gathers a total of over 3,200 upstream and downstream exhibitors of the pharmaceutical industry, and will effectively help industry enterprises develop quality suppliers that provide APIs, excipients, intermediates, packaging materials, and consumables with reliable quality and reasonable prices. Overseas veterinary drug and feed enterprises will not only be able to see on site the latest products and processes of feedstuff and additives, veterinary biological products, veterinary diagnostic reagents, veterinary API, veterinary preparation, and animal health product industries, but also can use the exhibition as an excellent international professional exchange platform where they can talk face to face with decision makers of the Chinese veterinary drug, breeding stock, and feed enterprises to analyze industry policies, interpret main points of guidelines, and talk about trends of the Chinese and overseas veterinary drug and feed markets.

Animal Health & Feed Zone of CPhI China 2019

Visitor registration for 2019 now opens. Register online now to save the CNY 100 on-site fee! Visit www.cphi-china.cn/animal/en for more details.

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190301/2390402-1-a
Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190301/2390402-1-b

HONG KONG, March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — FTLife Insurance Company Limited (“FTLife”) announces its unaudited 2018 financial results. The new business value (NBV) grew year-on-year by 68%, APE sales surged by 44% and profits after tax increased by 15%.

FTLife CEO Gerard Yang (left) and Chief Product Officer Christine Yeung (right)

Outstanding channel performance supported by popular products

The continued growth momentum of business results underscores FTLife’s remarkable corporate performance. Last year, the flagship “Regent Insurance” Series and “HealthCare 168” remained as FTLife’s key products on the market, driving strong growth in NBV. In 2018, the “Regent Insurance” Series accounted for nearly 60% of APE sales and “HealthCare 168” saw over 200% year-on-year growth in APE. IFA channel APE sales grew year-on-year by 55% while the agency channel achieved growth of 34%.

Roll out Certified Plan as early as April in tandem with the Government’s VHIS

FTLife CEO Gerard Yang commented: “FTLife enjoyed continuing pre-eminence in 2018 by capitalising on the competitive advantage of sales channels and product innovation. To support the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) of the Government, we anticipate that the certified VHIS product will be launched as early as April.  According to the market research conducted by Nielson and commissioned by the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, nearly 40% of respondents are interested in getting VHIS coverage, and over 70% of them would purchase a VHIS plan for themselves and their family members. Such figures reflect the huge market potential of VHIS products.”

Chief Product Officer Christine Yeung said, “FTLife is committed to providing customers with superior protection. Our recent medical protection products, including ‘HealthCare 168‘ Critical Illness Protector or MediGold Plus Insurance Plan, incorporate many innovative features and are popular in the market. The soon-to-be-launched Certified Plan in concert with the Government’s VHIS will make our health product series even more comprehensive for customers from all walks of life, allowing them to enjoy all-round medical protection and tax deduction at the same time.”

FTLife is commended for product development in the industry and has been offering medical products for over 30 years. The Insurance Excellence Awards 2018 (Best Medical Insurance Product) from iMoney Magazine and Best-in-Class Award (HealthCare Product) of the BENCHMARK Wealth Management Awards 2018 are bestowed to the Company for the excellence of its medical protection products.

Important notes:

• The information contained in this document is intended as a general summary of information for reference only. Please browse the official company website for details of relevant financial results and product information. For any inquiries, please contact FTLife Customer Service Hotline on +852 2866 8898.
• This document is for distribution in Hong Kong only. It is not an offer to sell or solicitation to buy or provision of any insurance product by FTLife outside Hong Kong.

Media inquiries

FTLife Insurance Company Limited
Branding, Marketing & Communication
Tel: +852 2591 8888
Email: ftlhk.mkt@ftlife.com.hk

About FTLife Insurance Company Limited

FTLife Insurance Company Limited (“FTLife”) is one of Hong Kong’s most well-established life insurance companies. Capitalising on a heritage of professionalism and excellence in serving clients, FTLife seeks to become a leading insurance group in Asia. It serves individual and institutional clients from a diverse portfolio of financial protection and wealth management products. FTLife aims to excel by cultivating lasting relationships and dedicates itself to providing clients with best-of-breed financial services to help them lead fulfilling lives.

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190307/2396364-1

SEOUL, South Korea, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The global healthcare and medical tourism conference “Medical Korea 2019” will be held for three days from March 14 at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. This annual conference is hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Park Neung Hoo) and organized by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI, President Lee Young Chan).

Opening Ceremony of Medical Korea Conference

Under the theme of “Global Healthcare ‘Discover the Next‘“, this event consists of various programs, including conference, business meetings with foreign buyers, and “Medical Korea Zone” to mark its 10^th anniversary.

Now in its 10^th year, the Medical Korea conference has been held with more than 12,000 attendees from 44 countries, becoming a prominent global healthcare conference that promotes the excellence of Korean medical services and presents new trends to international scholars and experts of the health and medical sector.

Professor Laszlo Puczko from Hungary, a leading medical and wellness expert in Europe, will open the conference with a speech on “Global Healthcare Market: Discover the Next”.

In addition, government officials from Korea’s major healthcare partner countries, including Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, China, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia, will join in discussing specific cooperation in areas such as patient transfer, medical personnel training, and advancement of medical systems.

About 60 experts from Korea and abroad will give lectures about medical service quality management, medical education, and online marketing, as well as have in-depth discussions on strategies to prepare for change and the future. In particular, representatives from six medical associations in the fields of dentistry, thyroid endocrine surgery, orthopedic surgery, and traditional Korean medicine will discuss about academic exchanges with Mongolia, Eurasian countries, etc.

This year’s conference will take place in parallel with “KIMES 2019” to be held at COEX, where Medical Korea Zone will be open at Hall D until March 17 to exhibit the history and outcomes of the Medical Korea. There will also be a chance to network with buyers from 11 countries.

KHIDI President Lee Young Chan expressed, “I hope Medical Korea, with its 10 years of history, will serve as an opportunity to check the current status of Korean medical care and gear up to pioneer the future of Korea as a leading country in global healthcare.”

More information about the event can be found on the official website www.medical-korea.org. Admission will be free with pre-registration, which can be done online until March 8.

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190301/2389225-1

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Surgical Theater announced today that William Hawkins has accepted the offer to join Surgical Theater’s team as the Chairman of its Advisory Board.

William Hawkins is the former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic and currently serves in multiple positions including Chairman, at Duke University Health System. His extensive executive and leadership experience in the healthcare industry and entrepreneurial success, make Mr. Hawkins an outstanding addition to the Surgical Theater leadership team.

“Surgical Theater is beyond honored to welcome Mr. Hawkins as Chairman of our Advisory Board,” said Moty Avisar, CEO and Co-Founder of Surgical Theater. “We are very excited for our accelerated growth. As a renowned successful entrepreneur and executive with strategic vision, Mr. Hawkins is going to be an important and instrumental asset in helping continue our growth and further establish our market leadership in the medical virtual and augmented reality space.”

Mr. Hawkins spent almost a decade at Medtronic, a medical device company with $100 billion market capitalization. He currently serves on multiple public and private, as well non-profit boards. His Alma Mater, Duke University, elected him to the board of Trustees and he also continues to serve as the Chair of the Board of Duke University Health System.

“My rule is to only be involved in organizations that make a significant impact in the healthcare world; Surgical Theater is one of those organizations,” said William Hawkins. “Surgical Theater has invented and commercialized a very unique technology that allows patients and surgeons to literally walk inside the patient’s own anatomical image. This is something that has never been done before. Surgical Theater has created clinical applications that greatly enhance the patient consultation and patient engagement. Furthermore, the clinical team’s strategies in the operating room are significantly improved with utilization of Surgical Theater’s VR and AR platform. I am very happy to partner with the leadership team at Surgical Theater to help scale the utilization of their Precision VR® technology across multiple surgical disciplines.”

Precision VR® is a novel visualization platform that allows patients and their surgeons to step into the patient’s complex diagnosis and to walk together in a 360-degree, Virtual Reality reconstruction of the patient’s anatomy. When wearing the VR headset, a VR-empowered physician and patient can tour a patient’s pathology. By simply turning their head from side to side, the patient can further explore their anatomy as the surgeon explains and demonstrates the planned surgical path the medical team will use during the procedure. This shared “walk-in” inside the pathology is proven to increase patient satisfaction, improve patient engagement and mprove a hospital’s financial performance.

About Surgical Theater
Surgical Theater, the market leader in virtual and augmented reality healthcare services, is the first to combine cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation technology with a patient’s own anatomy scans. Rendered from comprehensive combined modalities of CT, MRI as well as advanced post processing images such as DTI and BOLD, the 360° virtual reality fly-through is designed to allow surgeons to walk and fly-through a reconstruction of the patient’s own anatomy and pathology. While wearing the VR headset, a VR-empowered physician and patient, walk together into the space between vascular structures and stand between the arteries and the tumor, or aneurysm. By simply turning their head from side to side and/or up and down, the patient can further explore their own anatomy, as the surgeon explains and demonstrates the planned surgical path, which the medical team will use during their procedure. This 360° visual representation gives the patient and their families an informative and deep understanding of their condition, by visually answering questions regarding both surgical approaches, and other medical concerns.

Precision VR® is proven to increase patient satisfaction, improve patient engagement and a hospital’s financial performance.

Find out more at www.SurgicalTheater.net and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SurgicalTheater and Twitter @SurgicalTheater

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/831463/Surgical_Theater_Logo.jpg

JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Halodoc, Indonesia’s leading healthcare platform, has raised US$65 million in Series B funding, led by new investor UOB Venture Management. Other new investors in the financing round include Singtel Innov8, Korea Investment Partners and WuXi AppTec. Existing investors also participated.

Halodoc Pharmacy Delivery

Halodoc is a digital healthcare platform that includes a mobile app and website allowing customers across Indonesia to have live consultations with more than 20,000 licensed doctors in the country, anytime, anywhere. Its platform usage grew by 2500% in 2018, demonstrating robust demand for healthcare convenience. Customers can order lab tests to be carried out in their home and use the app to order medication from 1,300 participating pharmacies, which can be delivered within an hour.

Halodoc has teamed with more than 1,400 hospitals and healthcare providers in a nationwide partnership to improve the hospital visit experience. The partnership provides customers with shortened wait times at the pharmacy post appointment and a cashless hospital visit through linking of insurance benefits. Halodoc will use the new funds to perfect the online to offline healthcare experience with hospitals and insurance partners as its roll-out continues in 2019.

Halodoc was named “Most Innovative Start-up in Asia in November 2018“ by Galen Growth Asia, an organisation that monitors the healthcare start-up ecosystem in Asia Pacific.

Jonathan Sudharta, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Halodoc, said, “Today, we provide two million customers with convenient and reliable healthcare services monthly, of which half reside outside Java. There is a huge potential for technology to extend the reach of conventional healthcare, providing better access for the archipelago’s large population. The strategic investments and partnerships will enable us to accelerate our efforts in building a platform that improves access and convenience to millions of Indonesian customers.”

Kian-Wee Seah, Managing Director and CEO, UOB Venture Management, said, “Halodoc’s vision is to use technology to make quality healthcare more accessible for everyone and to optimize finite healthcare resources in a vast country such as Indonesia. This investment in Halodoc is a reflection of our responsible investing approach to support economic and social development.”

Halodoc has worked closely with its existing investors, Openspace Ventures, Clermont Group, Blibli.com and InvestIdea who share a similar vision for the future of healthcare. Whilst Halodoc’s strategic partner GOJEK Group, continues its commitment to Halodoc’s success. Andre Soelistyo, President GOJEK said, “At GOJEK, we focus relentlessly on solving problems and making life better for people throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Halodoc very much shares this ethos, which is why the company was one of our earliest ecosystem partners. We worked together to create GO-MED, through which Halodoc’s services are made available to millions of our users through the GOJEK app. We are proud to support the company and its management team and look forward to deepening the integration between our two platforms.”

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190305/2393476-1
Logo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190305/2393476-1LOGO