Rouen, France, November 2, 2020 – Robocath, a company that designs, develops and commercializes cardiovascular robotic systems for the treatment of vascular diseases, today announces creation of the joint venture with MicroPort Scientific Corporation ‘MicroPort’, through ‘MedBot’, its MicroPort MedBot (Shanghai) Co. Ltd subsidiary. This strategic partnership will enable the commercialization in China of its first robotic-assisted platform, R-One™. Both companies will also carry out research and development activities as agreed per the terms of the investment announced in April 2020. Robocath will hold 49% of this joint venture, 51% will be owned by MedBot.
Through this deal, Robocath will begin the commercialization of its first robotic-assisted platform in China, today the world’s biggest market in interventional cardiology. This expansion will be facilitated by local manufacturing of consumables and robotic assembly to ensure optimal distribution of Robocath products in this market. The testing, clinical and regulatory activities required to receive National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approval for R-One will begin immediately. Both companies will also carry out research and development activities related to the next long-distance generation of remote control over 5G network technologies and will develop artificial intelligence algorithms to be used with robotic-assisted platforms.
“We are excited to take this new step in our development which will permit us to rapidly penetrate the sector’s leading market,” said Philippe Bencteux, chairman and founder of Robocath. “We are impressed with the resources made available by our partner to fast-track the approval of our product in China.”
“Since the announcement of our strategic partnership last April, we have strengthened our discussions with all of the Robocath team in order to establish this common structure which will undoubtedly ensure the commercial success of the R-One robotic-assisted platform in the Chinese market,” said Dr. Alex He, general manager of MedBot.
“We are looking forward to starting this collaboration. Together, we share the conviction that the future of interventional medicine is based on robotics and artificial intelligence. Over the next few years, this strategic partnership will enable us to accelerate our commercial deployment and strengthen our technological know-how to make Robocath a major global player in the field of vascular robotics,” added Lucien Goffart, CEO of Robocath.
ABOUT MEDBOT
Founded in 2014, MedBot develops intelligent surgical robotic systems and solutions. MedBot is committed to meeting the most cutting-edge development needs of minimally invasive surgery, and innovatively providing integrated intelligent surgical solutions that can save patients’ lives or improve their quality of life. Following years of research and development, innovation and industrial accumulation, MedBot has grown to become a medical robot company that masters the underlying technology in the entire chain. MedBot’s three flagship products in the three major segments, namely the Toumai™ laparoscopic surgical robot, Skywalker™ joint replacement surgical robot and DFVision™ three-dimensional electronic laparoscope, have entered the special approval procedure (Green Path) for innovative medical devices at the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), becoming the only surgical robot company with three ‘Green Path’ grants in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Its current business covers five areas, including endoscopy, orthopaedics, vascular intervention, natural orifice, and percutaneous puncture.
ABOUT MICROPORT
MicroPort® was founded in 1998 in ZJ Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai China, where a group of dedicated individuals joined together by the common belief that advancements in medical technology could transform patients’ lives in China and around the globe. Over the last two decades, MicroPort® has taken important steps towards fulfilling its mission of providing access to the best means of prolonging and reshaping lives.
Today, MicroPort® is focused in covering 10 major areas including Cardiovascular Intervention & Structural Heart Diseases, Electrophysiology & Cardiac Rhythm Management, Orthopedics & Soft Tissue Repair, Endovascular & Peripheral Vascular Diseases, Neurovascular Intervention & Neurosciences, Life Sciences (Endocrine Management), Surgical Devices & Medical Robotics, Urology & Gynecology & Respiratory & Gastroenterology, Aesthetics & Rehabilitation, and In vitro Diagnostics & Medical Imaging.
Thanks to over 300 MicroPort® devices currently approved for use in nearly 10,000 hospitals worldwide, one of our devices is used every six seconds. With a vast global footprint of R&D and manufacturing sites (Shanghai; Memphis, TN in the United States; Clamart in France; Saluggia in Italy; Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic), a strong focus on technology innovation with over 4,700 patent applications, and a global workforce of over 7,000 employees, MicroPort® is committed to its vision of building a People Centric Consortium of companies focused on Emerging Medical Technologies.
ABOUT ROBOCATH
Founded in 2009 by Philippe Bencteux, MD, Robocath designs, develops and commercializes robotic solutions to treat cardiovascular diseases. As an active player in the evolving medical robotic industry, these innovative solutions aim to make medical procedures safer thanks to reliable technologies, while complementing manual interventions.
R-One™ is the first solution developed by Robocath. It uses a unique technology that optimizes the safety of robotic-assisted coronary angioplasty. This medical procedure consists of revascularizing the cardiac muscle by inserting one or more implants (stents) into the arteries that supply it with blood. Every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, this type of procedure is performed.
R-One is designed to operate with precision and perform specific movements, creating better interventional conditions. Thanks to its open architecture, R-One is compatible with market-leading devices and cath labs.
In a prospective, randomized, controlled pre-clinical trial, R-One demonstrated safety and efficacy as it achieved 100% technical procedure success and no MACE (Major adverse cardiovascular events). R-One received the CE marking in February 2019 and started its clinical application in September 2019. Currently R-One is available in Europe and Africa.
Robocath aims to become the world leader in vascular robotics and develop the remote treatment of vascular emergencies, guaranteeing the best care pathway for all.
Based in Rouen, France, Robocath has more than 40 employees.