June 24, 2004
Asahi Medical Co., Ltd.
Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation
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| New Asahi Medical Configuration to Serve the American Market |
Asahi Medical Co., Ltd. has established a new configuration
for the expansion and growth of hemodialyzer marketing, sales,
and support in the United States, with the founding of its
new subsidiary Asahi Kasei Medical America, Inc.
Asahi Medical is Japan's leading hemodialyzer manufacturer,
and exports its products to more than sixty countries worldwide.
Distribution of its hemodialyzers in the U.S. dates to 1983,
the time of their first FDA approval. Its U.S. representative
office was established at Northbrook, Illinois in 1996 as part
of the continuing market development. Asahi Medical has now
been granted FDA approval for its own marketing and sales of
hemodialyzers in the U.S., opening the way for the establishment
of Asahi Kasei Medical America in June and the scheduled commencement
of its marketing, sales, and support operations on July 1, to
provide fast, effective response and service through direct
contact with medical facilities throughout America.
In April 2004, Asahi Medical named Henry Schein, Inc. as a prime
distributor for its dialysis products in the United States.
Asahi Kasei Medical America will serve the American market
in coordination with Henry Schein, which is the largest distributor
of healthcare products and services to office-based medical
practitioners, and an established leader in related logistical
infrastructure and systems.
The establishment of Asahi Kasei Medical America and the expanding
network of marketing, sales, and distribution in the United
States is part of the continuing global growth of Asahi Medical,
as one of the world's leaders in the development, manufacture,
and supply of hemodialyzers.
| Asahi Kasei Medical America, Inc. |
| Head Office |
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Northbrook, Illinois, U.S.A |
| Paid-in capital |
| |
US$200,000 |
| Shareholder |
| |
Asahi Medical Co., Ltd. |
| Products |
| |
Hemodialyzers, with future expansion into other medical
products |
| |
|
| Asahi Medical Co., Ltd. |
| President |
| |
Kenji Nakamae |
| Establishment |
| |
July 24, 1974 |
| Paid-in capital |
| |
800 million yen |
| Shareholder |
| |
Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation; a core operating
company of Asahi Kasei Corporation, Tokyo, Japan |
| Head Office |
| |
9-1, Kanda Mitoshirocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8482,
Japan |
| Plants |
| |
Nobeoka Plant, production of hemodialyzer hollow
fibers
Oita Plant, production of hemodialyzers and other products |
| Employees |
| |
Approx. 1,500 (at 31 March 2004) |
| Net sales |
| |
38.9 billion yen (fiscal year ended 31 March
2004) |
| |
|
| Henry Schein Inc |
| |
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Founded in 1932; headquartered in New York, U.S.A. |
| |
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Leadership in the development of mail-order, telemarketing, and Net-based
operations, logistics, and systems, since their initiation in the 1980s. |
| |
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A leading distributor of healthcaredisposable medical products and servicesto
the dialysis community in the U.S. |
| |
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Annual net sales currently totaling some 370 billion yen, with approximately
8,000 employees. |
Hemodialyzer
The hemodialyzer, also known as the “artificial kidney”,
is the key medical device in hemodialytic therapy for patients
with inadequate kidney function. As the patient’s blood
is circulated through the hemodialyzer, its selectively permeable
membranes enable the removal of metabolic wastes from the blood
which are ordinarily removed by the kidneys and pass out of
the body via urine. As the hemodialyzer membrane is impermeable
to the essential blood components, they are thus returned to
the patient in the blood circulation. In Japan, more than 230,000
patients currently undergo regular hemodialytic therapy, generally
consisting of three hemodialysis sessions per week with approximately
four to five hours per session.
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