ZOLL and Wallaby Medical Announce Agreement to Distribute Temperature Management Products in China

CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZOLL^® Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei company that manufactures medical devices and related software solutions, and Wallaby Medical Technologies, a medical device company dedicated to treating stroke and cardiac arrest, today announced they have signed a distribution agreement whereby Wallaby will manage the sales and distribution of ZOLL’s temperature management products in China.

In China, cardiac arrest and stroke account for more than 544,000¹ and 1.79 million² deaths, respectively, each year. “ZOLL is excited to work with Wallaby to further expand the use of the Thermogard XP^® in China, allowing more patients to benefit from high-quality targeted temperature management (TTM),” said Neil Johnston, President, ZOLL Circulation.

High-quality TTM relies on speed at induction to achieve a specific temperature and precisely sustain specified temperatures throughout cooling and normothermia phases, which includes a prolonged controlled rewarming phase.³ Current cooling devices vary broadly in their ability to deliver speed and precision, but the latitude in dose selection requires high specificity. The goal of a high-quality TTM program is to improve the potential for good neurological outcome at patient discharge.^3-4 Patients discharging neurologically intact often experience easier recoveries and return to a higher and longer-term quality of life, including return to their normal productivity and lives with their loved ones.^5-6

The Thermogard XP Intravascular Temperature Management System (IVTM™) offers healthcare providers the precision and speed as characterized in high-quality TTM, resulting in clinically demonstrated improvements in neurological outcomes among survivors of cardiac arrest.^7-9 The system includes a family of heat-exchange catheters that enable clinicians to manage core body temperature according to a patient’s specific needs. In the United States, the use of IVTM in cardiac arrest patients has not been cleared or approved by the FDA.

“Wallaby Medical is dedicated to improving patient care in China through advanced technology, as we pursue our vision of becoming the medical technology company that helps save the most lives affected by stroke and cardiac arrest. The Thermogard XP Intravascular Temperature Management System is an important part of our comprehensive product portfolio to achieve that aim,” said Michael Alper, CEO, Wallaby Medical.

About ZOLL Medical Corporation

ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and cardiac monitoring, circulation enhancement and CPR feedback, supersaturated oxygen therapy, data management, ventilation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, as well as lay rescuers, improve patient outcomes in critical cardiopulmonary conditions. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber business, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 40,000 employees around the world, the company contributes to sustainable society by providing solutions to the world’s challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com.

About Wallaby Medical

Wallaby Medical focuses on developing and commercializing medical device products for treating stroke. Wallaby’s products include the Avenir Coil System, which is a technically differentiated neuro embolic coil system for treating intracranial aneurysms and other neurovascular abnormalities and the Esperance DAC catheter for ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke treatment procedures. Wallaby’s products are commercialized in over 20 countries. For more information, visit www.wallabymedical.com.

© 2021 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. IVTM, Thermogard XP, and ZOLL are trademarks or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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2. GBD 2016 Stroke Collaborators (Johnson CO, et al.). Lancet Neurol. 2019;18:5:439–458. Epub 2019 Mar 11.
3. Taccone, et al: Critical Care (2020) 24:6.
4. Institute of Medicine. 2015. Strategies to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival: A Time to Act. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
5. Sawyer et al. Circulation Volume 141, Issue 12, 24 March 2020; Pages e654-e685.
6. Kongpolprom et al. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, January 2019; 23(1),20-26.
7. Bartlett et al. Resuscitation 146 (2020) 8295.
8. Calabró et al. Critical Care (2019) 23:285.
9. Liao et al. Critical Care (2020) 24:27.