Sept. 28, 2017 — GREENVILLE, N.C.— RFPi Inc. (“RFPi”) announced today an agreement with Nipro Corporation (“Nipro”), headquartered in Osaka, Japan, whereby Nipro will acquire 15 percent ownership of RFPi and receive exclusive distribution rights to their medical device iCertainty™, a portable intra-operative blood perfusion imaging device, in Japan.
RFPi will jointly develop iCertainty™ platform technology for additional applications in Japan. RFPi will receive an equity payment and is eligible for profit share of gross revenues. RFPi retains full rights to iCertainty™ outside of Japan.
Originally developed at East Carolina University, iCertainty™ platform technology allows real-time visualization of blood flow and perfusion in tissues without the need for injections, dyes, radiation or direct tissue contact. The iCertainty™ medical device has the additional capability of providing surgical outcomes data, thus providing quantifiable performance data for evidence-based medicine and improved patient outcomes.
Jeff Basham, CEO, RFPi said, “We are extremely pleased to partner with a company with Nipro’s leading reputation in the medical device field. Nipro’s level of expertise and forward thinking is truly unmatched. We greatly appreciate the support of the Nipro team for helping advance RFPi technology and bring tangible benefits to surgeons, patients, hospitals and third-party payers alike.”
Toshiaki Masuda, Managing Director of Medical Technology Div. at Nipro, added, “In addition to the existing main medical device businesses in dialysis, hospital supplies, and interventional cardiology/radiology, we are determined to promoting marketing and sales activities through introduction and development of products in the surgical field as a pillar of our new business. Under these circumstances, we have decided to conclude this capital alliance with the exclusive sales and licensing agreement in Japan, as we are expected to further develop our product lineup as well as develop business through expansion of surgical related products.”
About Nipro
Nipro Corporation (Osaka, Japan; www.nipro.co.jp) is a world leading manufacturer of medical products in various fields such as renal, intervention and anesthesiology, injection and infusion, cardiopulmonary and diabetes, etc. Committed to delivering innovative, high quality and value-added solutions to improve patient care, the company develops cutting-edge products that are safe for the medical provider and manufactured to alleviate the discomfort of the patient. Established in 1954, Nipro employs more than 25,000 team members globally and specializes in medical, pharmaceutical and pharma packaging products.
About RFPi
RFPi aspires to become a leader in real-time, non-invasive medical imaging. RFPi is pioneering breakthrough medical imaging technologies to improve surgical outcomes, reduce health-care costs and hospital readmissions, and enhance patient care. Videos demonstrating how RFPi’s iCertainty™ platform works can be seen on the company’s website at www.rfpi-co.com.
MedCI LLC, a leading business development consulting firm for North America and Asia transactions, served as advisor to RFPi.