08-May-16 Venture funding in healthcare globally reached a record USD4.5 bn in 302 deals in 2015, a four fold increase since 2011. A new generation of healthcare startups, focussing on the consumer market, has been gaining rapid ground. China, India and Singapore have become hotbeds for healthtech start-ups, most about doctor and clinic discovery. [image: Deal Street Asia]

28-Apr-16 Fitbit, the leader in connected health and fitness, and Tmall.com, China's largest third-party web platform, owned by Alibaba, have signed an MoU to expand Fitbit’s reach in China. The partnership will introduce the Fitbit platform to hundreds of millions across the country. "Since 2014, we’ve seen steady growth in the market," said Woody Scal, Chief Business Officer at Fitbit. [image: Fitbit]

05-May-16 An electronic system could save patients millions of hours in queues at public sector clinics in Hong Kong. In 2014/15, each patient had to wait two hours on average. The system tracks the patient from arrival to the time they enter the consultation room, and queue status is updated on a screen informing patients how long they have to wait. [image: South China Morning Post]

05-May-16 Work has started on the construction of a medical high-tech center that specializes in endoscopic surgery and digestion treatment at the Saint Paul General Hospital in Hanoi. “The center will be built following European standards and will become the country’s leading endoscopic surgery facility that satisfies the increasing demand for examination and treatment of people in Hanoi,” Nguyen Khac Hien, the city’s health department director, said. [image: VNS]

03-May-16 The China FDA 2015 annual report details a fall in the registration of new medical devices to 7,530 from 8,340 in 2014. Toughening of Chinese regulations may have discouraged some applicants. The proportion of IVDs in the figures is large at 40%, but for imported medical devices there are almost as many new registrations as renewals. [image: Brandwood Biomedical]