February 24, 2020 — Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc. announces a newly formed partnership with RegenLab USA LLC to distribute its regenerative medicine portfolio of bio-injectable products to the musculoskeletal (MSK), pain management, radiology and veterinary markets in the United States and Canada. The bio-injectable line includes preparation devices for Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and other blood cell therapies, delivered using ultrasound guidance. This partnership further broadens Konica Minolta’s UGPro Solution, a comprehensive program that unites ultrasound imaging with targeted therapies and hands-on education to help improve patient outcomes.
The regenerative medicine market for sports medicine, orthopedics and pain management is experiencing rapid growth and projected to exceed $300 million in North America by 2025. “This growing demand for PRP and other cell therapies aligns with our UGPro strategy of bringing the highest quality, clinically validated solutions to our customers,” said Kirsten Doerfert, senior vice president of marketing, Konica Minolta Healthcare. “Our alliance with RegenLab is founded on our mutual belief in the importance of clinical evidence and the desire to help our customers better serve their patients.”
PRP is a concentration of platelets in plasma from a patient’s own blood (autologous). The preparation kits from RegenLab allow for the easy, rapid and consistent preparation from a small volume of blood with an optimal platelet concentration and viability. Procedures are performed under ultrasound guidance to allow the practitioner to visualize the needle in real time and precisely place the injectate in the desired location. With ultrasound guidance, the accuracy of nearly every joint injection exceeds 90 percent.
“Patients are seeking less invasive, results-oriented therapies for MSK and orthopedic injuries,” said Eric Sumner, executive vice president ultrasound sales at Konica Minolta. “Our partnership with RegenLab gives our customers a complete solution, from the highest quality ultrasound systems to excellent PRP and cell therapy products, so they can maximize the quality of care for their patients and get them back to being active again. We are excited to add RegenLab’s biologic therapies to our comprehensive UGPro Solution.”
The single use PRP kits are designed to consistently prepare high-quality PRP and other cellular therapies that clinicians can safely and easily deliver in their practice. “As a leading innovator for the preparation of PRP, safety and efficacy of our products is paramount,” said Antoine Turzi, founder and CEO of RegenLab. “Our alliance with Konica Minolta Healthcare further advances this area of medicine by giving physicians the ability to guide the accurate delivery of cell therapy prepared with Regen Lab products.”
Ultrasound injections also have the advantage of giving real-time feedback, where the physician is not only able to observe the treatment being delivered, but also visualize surrounding structures. Konica Minolta’s SONIMAGE HS1 Compact Ultrasound System delivers superior image quality along with Simple Needle Visualization (SNV®) technology that improves needle visibility so that clinicians can confirm proper placement of biologics. To help address the growing need for ultrasound-guided procedures and education, Konica Minolta Healthcare launched the UGPro Solution in 2018.
For more information: www.konicaminolta.com/medicalusa