Fresenius Medical Care Partners with JMS Co. Ltd. to Advance Home Dialysis Treatment in Japan

Rhea-AI Summary

Fresenius Medical Care has entered a strategic distribution partnership with JMS Co. Ltd to distribute innovative home dialysis therapies in Japan. This initiative addresses the growing need for dialysis treatment in Japan’s aging population, projected to have 33% aged 65 and over by 2035. Currently, only 3% of dialysis patients in Japan use home therapies, the lowest in the developed world. The partnership aims to enhance quality of life through flexible treatment options, allowing patients to manage their care at home.

Positive

• Strategic partnership with JMS Co. Ltd to distribute home dialysis therapies in Japan.
• Addresses the increasing demand for dialysis among Japan's aging population.
• Potential to improve patient quality of life with home treatment options.

Negative

• None.

Innovative home dialysis therapies to support Japan’s growing dialysis needs

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases, has today announced a strategic distribution partnership with JMS Co. Ltd, a provider of medical devices and pharmaceuticals, in Japan. Under the agreement, JMS Co. Ltd. will distribute Fresenius Medical Care’s innovative home dialysis therapies in the Japanese market, providing patients with a wider range of dialysis choices to suit their lifestyle, enhance their wellbeing, and to help address the home healthcare needs of Japan’s aging population.

Japan has what is known as a ‘super-aging society’, with the largest elderly population in the world.¹ By 2035, it is projected that 33 per cent of the total population will be aged 65 and over.¹ Alongside this accelerated aging, the number of people requiring dialysis in Japan continues to grow each year. At the end of 2018, there were 339,841 people in Japan undergoing dialysis with an average age of almost 69 years.² Yet the vast majority of these people receive their treatment in dialysis centers, with only 3 per cent undergoing home dialysis – the lowest percentage of home dialysis users in the developed world.² The combination of increased aging population and dialysis need is placing pressure on the Japanese healthcare system, and it is mandatory for Japanese society to find a solution to these issues for sustainaiblity.³

Expanding the opportunities for home dialysis has the potential to provide clinical benefits to patients, as well as offer greater treatment flexibility that can improve quality of life.⁴ Home dialysis allows patients to have treatment in the familiar surroundings of their own home, where they can take an active hands-on role in their own care, while avoiding the need to travel to a clinic - and therefore enjoy more flexibility to work, study and/or socialize.⁴

“Fresenius Medical Care is committed to improving patients’ quality of life through our expertise in chronic kidney disease management”, said Mr Harry de Wit, CEO & President of Fresenius Medical Care Asia Pacific. “Through providing various treatments options to healthcare professionals and patients, we aim to deliver on our vision – to create a future worth living, for patients, worldwide, every day”.

“We are happy to form this strategic partnership with JMS, as we share the same vision about the future of home therapy in Japan. We are confident that our partnership will bring substantial benefits to the Japanese community,” said Mrs Jean DeSombre, Executive Vice President for Mature Asia, Fresenius Medical Care Asia Pacific.

Under the agreement, JMS Co. Ltd will distribute the advanced portfolio of Fresenius Medical Care’s home dialysis systems in Japan, including automatic peritoneal dialysis system. These systems, which have US Federal Drug Authority (FDA) and European CE Mark approvals, are used widely in other developed countries.

ENDS

References

1. Iwata, H., Matsushima, M., Watanabe, T., Sugiyama, Y., Yokobayashi, K., Son, D., Satoi, Y., Yoshida, E., Satake, S., Hinata, Y. and Fujinuma, Y., 2020. The need for home care physicians in Japan – 2020 to 2060. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), pp.1-11.
2. Nitta, K., Goto, S., Masakane, I., Hanafusa, N., Taniguchi, M., Hasegawa, T., Nakai, S., Wada, A., Hamano, T., Hoshino, J., Joki, N., Abe, M., Yamamoto, K. and Nakamoto, H., 2020. Annual dialysis data report for 2018, JSDT Renal Data Registry: survey methods, facility data, incidence, prevalence, and mortality. Renal Replacement Therapy, 6(1), pp.1-18.
3. Hanafusa, N. and Fukagawa, M., 2020. Global Dialysis Perspective: Japan. Kidney360, 1(5), pp.416-419.
4. Walker, R., Howard, K. and Morton, R., 2017. Home hemodialysis: a comprehensive review of patient-centered and economic considerations. ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research, Volume 9, pp.149-161.

ABOUT FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE

Fresenius Medical Care is the world's leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases of which around 3.7 million patients worldwide regularly undergo dialysis treatment. Through its network of more than 4,100 dialysis clinics, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatments for approximately 346,000 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the leading provider of dialysis products such as dialysis machines or dialyzers. Along with its core business, the Renal Care Continuum, the company focuses on expanding in complementary areas and in the field of critical care. Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME) and on the New York Stock Exchange (FMS).

For more information visit the Company’s website at www.freseniusmedicalcare.asia.

DISCLAIMER

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to, changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, legal changes, regulatory approvals, impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic results of clinical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210917005139/en/

Media

Dr. Alexandra Villar

Vice President

Corporate Communications and Branding

Asia Pacific

Fresenius Medical Care

51/F Sun Hung Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Road

Wanchai, Hong Kong

Alexandra.Villar@fmc-asia.com

www.freseniusmedicalcare.asia

For further information:

Dr Alexandra Villar: Alexandra.Villar@fmc-asia.com

Source: Fresenius Medical Care

FAQ

What is the purpose of Fresenius Medical Care’s partnership with JMS Co. Ltd?

The partnership aims to distribute innovative home dialysis therapies in Japan to address the growing dialysis needs of its aging population.

How many dialysis patients are there in Japan according to the press release?

As of 2018, there were 339,841 people undergoing dialysis in Japan.

What percentage of dialysis patients in Japan currently use home dialysis?

Only 3% of dialysis patients in Japan use home dialysis, which is the lowest in the developed world.

Which products will JMS Co. Ltd distribute in Japan?

JMS Co. Ltd will distribute Fresenius Medical Care’s home dialysis systems, including automatic peritoneal dialysis systems.

What is the projected demographic change in Japan by 2035?

By 2035, it is projected that 33% of Japan's total population will be aged 65 and over.