Health-Robotics, a supplier in the automation of intra-venous (IV) patient-specific medication preparation and compounding, announced that it has signed a strategic partnership in Japan with TOSHO, a provider of pharmacy automation solutions.

 

TOSHO selected Health Robotics' CytoCare Robot after an extensive study, which was undertaken by TOSHO's engineering and management teams, and by TOSHO's customer Kameda Medical Center.

 

CytoCare is a robot designed for flexible and highly sophisticated preparation of medical IV admixtures. The CytoCare robot places the finished solution on the available position within the loading carousel and when an operator needs to retrieve them, it will provide the finished IV preparations one after the other. It consists of two units: the main unit (MU) and the pipe unit (PU).

 

Under the terms of the agreement, Health Robotics also selected TOSHO as its exclusive distributor and service provider in Japan. The companies will now jointly implement Health Robotics' CytoCare at TOSHO's Oncology-focused customers in Japan. TOSHO has also agreed to adapt and localize Health Robotics' software applications for the Japanese market.

 

The investigative process conducted by TOSHO included multiple visits to Health Robotics' factory and customer locations at Bozen General Hospital, Campus Biomedico University, Policlinico Umberto I, and San Camilo Hospital.

 

Yoshihito Omura, general manager, TOSHO, said that being an exclusive partner of Health Robotics in Japan, the TOSHO is surprised by the innovation and quick development demonstrated by Health Robotics. He further said that the European hospitals have greatly benefited from Health Robotics' products within chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody therapies. He believes that CytoCare Robot is a breakthrough technology that will positively complement TOSHO's Oral Medication Automation solutions.

 

Omura added, “We look forward to offering our five-hundred Oncology-focused customers in Japan the unique value proposition of combining Oral and Hazardous IV Medication Automation solutions with CytoCare, and in parallel initiating a similar due diligence process for IV Station, the new non-hazardous IV Admixtures Robot recently developed by Health Robotics. We look forward to seeing IV Station for the first time at the December 2008 ASHP Meeting in Orlando."

 

Health-Robotics claims that CytoCare is the only available solution in the present day market to automatically compound and prepare ready-to-administer hazardous and non-hazardous IV admixtures, which has also been proven in a "live" hospital pharmacy environment. With this, Health Robotics is the only company to install the world's first and only totally automated system for safe preparation of patient-specific hazardous IV admixtures in Europe, the United States of America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

 

Health Robotics said that through its robotics and software automation solutions, it will be facilitating pharmacies to provide improved patient safety through the effective and efficient production of sterile, accurate, and ready-to-administer IVs, thereby decreasing life-threatening medication errors and cross-contamination risks, and as well increased productivity and efficiency.

 

Japan, Tokyo-based TOSHO is into the development of pharmacy automation solutions for oral, powder, vials, and medication dispensing.