14-Feb-17 Japanese medical device producer Nipro will spend USD300 mn on a new factory in Vietnam, to meet rising domestic and foreign demand. The factory will make catheters and other products for dialysis for sale mainly in Japan and Southeast Asia. Nipro has relied on a Thai subsidiary to produce for these markets but has now decided to increase capacity. [image: Nikkei Asian Review / Nipro]

10-Feb-17 Carl Zeiss Meditec reported a 6.6% increase in revenue to €280 million in the first quarter of its 2016-2017 fiscal year, compared with €262.2 million in the same quarter a year ago. In the Asia-Pacific region, revenue increased 26.6% from €83.6 million to €105.8 million, attributed to the Chinese market and Southeast Asia and India. [image: Carl Zeiss]

09-Feb-17 The Philippines' Ayala Corp has bought into a medical startup, adding some disruptive technology to its fledgling healthcare operations. The investment vehicle AC Health took a minority stake in Wellbridge Health, which owns the online pharmacy MedGrocer. "The investment of AC Health into MedGrocer fits well with both our pharmacy and health tech aspirations," said Paolo Borromeo, CEO. [image: Nikkei Asian Reveiw]

09-Feb-17 Medical tourism was once a potential key driver of the economy, but it has been increasingly difficult for Singapore to maintain its position due to ever-rising costs. The standard of care is superb. But there is a lack of transparency in private hospital fees, which contain many hidden charges. Foreign patients are put off by the costly accommodation and transport. [image: IMTJ]

07-Feb-17 Singapore-based health technology startup CXA Group, which offers an employee benefits and wellness marketplace platform, has raised USD25 mn in Series B funding in a round led by B Capital Group and EDBI. The SaaS platform uses health screening, lifestyle risks, and data from claims and wearable sensors to predict future premium costs. [image: CXA Group]