111 to build a disease management platform with Bayer

Chinese healthcare platform 111 has expanded its existing partnership with global drug maker Bayer Healthcare Co. 

The two companies first entered into a strategic partnership last year in September to market innovative drugs and healthcare products for chronic disease management. A digital platform was also built to provide online pharmacist training and interactive educational resources for patients. 

In their expanded collaboration, they will develop a disease management platform that supports doctor-patient communication, disease course management and online and offline direct-to-pharmacy delivery of medicines.

Aside from that, 111 will use its smart supply chain, big data and cloud services to continue assisting Bayer in its commercialisation efforts. More drugs will also be introduced in China through 111, including medications for diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and cerebral diseases and female health conditions.

"While Bayer and 111 have already developed a mutually cooperative relationship, in many ways this agreement marks a new beginning. It will better enable both parties to give full play to their unique advantages in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, and the innovative digital service model will create value for the pharmaceutical industry and benefit more Chinese patients," Bayer Pharmaceuticals SVP Luo Xiaojie said.

"By leveraging our respective strengths and expertise, the two companies will jointly explore more efficient healthcare delivery models, advancing the traditional healthcare system to the modern era of digital 'healthcare + medicine' to provide people in China with high-quality products and convenient services, and to help build a healthy China," 111 co-founder and Executive Chairman Dr Yu Gang also stated.

Qure.ai receives another FDA 510(k) for brain CT scan AI

Indian medical imaging AI startup Qure.ai has obtained US FDA 510(k) clearance for its brain CT quantification tool that is used to rapidly assess the severity of a patient's brain injury.

Based on its FDA application, qER-Quant is intended for "automatic labelling, visualisation and quantification of segmentable brain structures from a set of Non-Contrast head CT images". The system shows a table with a comparative analysis of two or more CT images acquired from the same scanner for the same individual at multiple time points.

The AI software assists clinicians in tracking the progress of patients with haemorrhagic stroke, traumatic brain injury or hydrocephalus. Researchers can also use the tool for the development of new quantitative outcome measures. 

qER-Quant, which is also cleared for sale in the EU, is currently being used at over 40 clinical sites, Qure.ai said.

"This FDA clearance adds quantification, outlining and measurement capabilities to Qure.ai’s first clearance for triage and notification of critical brain abnormalities. We are excited about bringing a complete suite of capabilities to clinicians who deal with critical head CT scans," said Dr Pooja Rao, co-founder and R&D head of Qure.ai.

Last year, the startup received the US FDA's approval for its head CT scan product qER. The device is used to triage radiology scans with intracranial bleeds, mass effect, midline shift and cranial fractures.

Ujala Cygnus sets ups ICU telemedicine facility in New Delhi

Indian healthcare provider Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals has launched an ICU telemedicine facility at the Nirankari COVID Care Centre in Burari, New Delhi. 

Catering to both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients, the telemedicine facility will provide 24/7 ICU medical care and online support from UK-based critical care experts at the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO).

Dr Shuchin Bajaj, the founder-director of Ujala Cygnus, said in a statement that the opening of the telemedicine facility forms part of their preparation for a potential COVID-19 third wave of infections. 

"When the COVID-19 cases suddenly start increasing, it overwhelms the whole healthcare infrastructure. In such a scenario, these international experts will help us. They have also experienced [a] third wave [of COVID-19 infections] in the UK, where the mortality rate was quite low all because of their efforts. Therefore, this experience will also help us to combat [the] third wave in India too," he said.

To set up the facility, Ujala Cygnus collaborated with the Delhi Government, Rotary Club of Delhi Central, PHD Chamber of Commerce and BAPIO Training Academy. 

The Nirankari COVID Centre, a free-of-cost treatment and isolation centre, was established in the midst of the second wave of COVID-19 infections in India which started in late May. 

Sri Lanka's National Hospital gets AI-powered CT scanner

An AI-powered CT scanner has been installed at the Radiology Department of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka.

The Canon Aquilion ONE/PRISM Edition CT Scanner was installed by Colombo-based medical equipment supplier Mediquipment, which is also the exclusive product distributor for Canon Medical Systems Corporation. Its installation was said to be the first around the country. 

According to a press statement, the CT system combines AI with deep learning spectral reconstruction through the Advanced Intelligence Clear-IQ Engine. It has a 6cm wide area detector that enables cranial or cardiac scanning to be completed in a "fraction of a second" and reconstruct the scans into "quality images in a few seconds".

The system provides the hospital's radiologists with new capacity and capabilities through spectral CT scanning, advanced visualisation and deep learning-based CT imaging, according to Senthuran Sivagnanasuntharam, VP for Radiology at Mediquipment. 

For patients, he said, the installation of the AI CT scanner "means access to the highest global standard of diagnostics, delivered with greater accuracy and speed than ever before".

India's Tamil Nadu uses AI mobile app to screen citizens for cataracts

The Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency has recently rolled out its mobile app for screening citizens for cataracts.

Based on a news report, the Indian state of Tamil Nadu records about 22,700 patients with cataracts. Considering that the eye condition is one of the primary causes of blindness in the state, eye hospitals held screening camps to screen citizens. 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to halt the programme, leading to a "significant" backlog of patients waiting for cataract surgeries.

The mobile app named E-Paarvai has been rolled out to state-run hospitals early this year. With minimal training, government health workers can use the app to screen patients for cataracts. They are only required to input patient details, capture images of their eyes and let the app process the photos using AI to determine whether they display cataracts.

The news report noted that the app scored 91% accuracy. It is available for download in the Google Play store. 

During the pilot run of the mobile app, about 1,400 people in 14 districts in the state were screened by the Tamil Nadu State Blindness Control Society. 

Australian insurer nib offers telehealth service to member international students

International students in Australia who are insured by nib now have access to online doctor consultations.

The pilot telehealth offering was made possible through nib's partnership with local healthcare provider 24-7 Healthcare. 

More than 10,000 nib members under the Overseas Students Health Cover can now use the 24-7 MedCare telehealth service to have a virtual consultation with a doctor at home "at no additional cost", nib said in a press statement.

The service was introduced in response to the increasing demand for doctors' services from its international student members over the past year. After its test run, nib plans to extend the service to other insurance members.

"More and more people are continuing to use telehealth services as an alternative and more convenient method of care while varying COVID-19 state lockdowns and restrictions continue to take place across the country," said nib Chief Executive for International Vistors James Barr.

"This pilot will hopefully allow us to better understand the health needs of our international members so that we’re able to deliver the right tools to our members to help them manage their health and in turn, help prevent the development of more serious health issues later on," he added.

VR tech to support mental health therapy launched in Hong Kong

A cinema and TV broadcast products supplier has developed a VR solution that can support therapists in treating patients with mental health conditions. 

The unnamed solution by Chinam Cinema & TV Technology can be used to create various treatment scenarios for mental health patients. 

One use case it cited is the treatment of patients dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder from road accidents, which is regarded as one of the common psychiatric problems in Hong Kong. According to Chinam, VR technology immerses patients into a road environment and guides them in seeking a controlled level of exposure.

Chinam developed the VR solution through the support of the Hong Kong Smart Government Innovation Lab. The public agency aids small enterprises and startups to create products that enhance government services.

The VR system is now available for purchase by institutions and corporations.