21-Mar-16 Johnson & Johnson has seen the profitability of its consumer and medical device sectors flag in recent years, prompting activist investor Artisan to put pressure on the firm. The company’s executives recently shared their vision for growing its medical device business with a six-pronged plan that includes boosting its consumer medical devices business and expanding into emerging markets. [image: Johnson & Johnson]

18-Mar-16 Overcrowded public hospitals in Hong Kong have dropped the idea of asking nurses to prescribe medicine to stable patients due to the objection of medical staff. The overall occupancy of medical inpatient beds has dropped to 104% from a peak of 130% in some major hospitals, but some temporary beds are still required in wards or along corridors. [image: Sam Tsang / SCMP]

18-Mar-16 The CEO of Samsung Medison said he will achieve a rebound this year, wiping out recent sell-off rumors. One new product to assist with this goal is the PT10V, an IVD for animals, which can take up to 13 tests for animals at the same time. The CEO said “The animal medical device market is small but we see a new possibility.” [image: Business Korea]

18-Mar-16 KPJ Healthcare Bhd will spend close to MYR1.3 bn (USD324 mn) to build eight new hospitals in Malaysia over the next three to five years. This includes the Damansara 2 Specialist Hospital, to be developed at a cost of MYR376 mn (USD94 mn) and expected to open its doors in the fourth quarter of 2019. [image: The Star]

17-Mar-16 India’s largest doctor discovery platform Practo has launched services in Brazil, its sixth location. This makes it one of the few homegrown Indian consumer Internet startups to capitalize on high-growth global markets. Practo is already present in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. [image: Practo]