US-based Terumo Health Outcomes (THO) has entered a partnership with Netherlands-based Medis Medical Imaging (MMI) to enhance cardiovascular care in the US.
The companies plan to combine MMI’s non-invasive quantitative flow ratio (QFR) technology, a software for angiography-derived coronary physiology assessment, with Terumo’s ePRISM clinical decision platform and pilot them together at select clinical sites in the US.
Under the partnership, real-time data from electronic health records (EHRs), and data from Medis’ PIONEER IV trial (NCT04923191) – a 2,540-patient study designed to evaluate the superiority of the company’s next-generation QFR technology – will be integrated into THO's ePRISM platform.
The companies anticipate that the combined technologies will enhance clinical decision support capabilities, streamline workflows, and improve patient outcomes by providing interventional cardiologists with precise anatomical and physiological assessments of coronary artery disease (CAD).
Terumo’s senior divisional vice president Ryan Graver commented: "This collaboration underscores Terumo's commitment to building an innovative care operating system that not only improves clinical outcomes but also streamlines the entire care pathway.
“By utilising our ePRISM platform alongside Medis' QFR technology, we are equipping clinicians with a comprehensive suite that enhances procedural efficiency and patient outcomes.”
MMI CEO Maya Barley added: “We are thrilled to partner with THO to push the boundaries of cardiovascular imaging and decision support. This collaboration provides a comprehensive solution that enhances diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning.”
MMI has already conducted several trials of its QFR technology in practical use during and after interventional CAD procedures.
The company’s FAVOR III trial (NCT03656848) assessed whether QFR-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) yielded superior clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness compared to a strategy of standard coronary angiography-guided PCI in the evaluation of CAD patients. The trial demonstrated a 34% reduction in major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in a one-year follow-up of patients treated with MMI's QFR-guided versus standard angiography-guided procedures.
It is estimated that CAD affects 250 million people worldwide.
In other CAD news, US-based digital healthcare company Cleerly recently completed a $106m funding round to develop its non-invasive AI-quantitative coronary CT technology, which analyses coronary computed tomography angiography images to measure atherosclerosis – plaque build-up in the heart’s arteries – to aid clinicians in developing personalised treatment plans for patients.
