ACell, of Columbia, has entered into an exclusive long-term product supply and distribution agreement with First Horizon, and Weihai Jierui Medical Products Co., a division of Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Co., and a manufacturer and distributor of medical devices in China.
The terms of the distribution agreement grant exclusive rights to Weihai Jierui for the sale, marketing and distribution of ACell’s MicroMatrix and Cytal Wound Matrix devices in China and Hong Kong for 10 years after marketing clearance. Weihai Jierui has also committed to collaborate with ACell on obtaining regulatory approvals necessary prior to commercialization.
“Weihai Jierui is pleased to be entering this agreement, and to be building the foundation of a lasting partnership with ACell,” said Weihai Jierui president and CEO Xiaotong Chen. “The ability of Cytal and MicroMatrix devices to manage difficult wounds and facilitate remodeling of healthy, functional tissue will be a clear benefit to Chinese physicians and the patients they treat.”
“China represents a medical device market size of more than $65 billion and the country’s aging population and rising rates of diseases, like obesity and diabetes, mean there is significant and growing need for ACell’s wound management devices,” said ACell CEO Patrick McBrayer. “This agreement represents not only a significant milestone in ACell’s global expansion, but the initiation of an important partnership that will help Chinese patients and offer substantial growth prospects for both of our organizations.”