B + L, Topcon co-promote surgical items in Japan

Tokyo-Bausch + Lomb (B + L) Japan and Topcon Medical Japan have announced a collaboration to co-promote their ophthalmic surgical products in Japan, including introduction of a proprietary microsurgery platform (Stellaris PC Vision Enhancement System).

The proprietary microsurgery platform has been approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and is now available in Japan. The platform received regulatory approval in the United States and Europe in 2010.

Under the agreement, B + L Japan is responsible for importing product and Topcon Medical Japan is responsible for sales, maintenance, and service. The two companies share responsibility for promotional activities.

“The launch of [the proprietary microsurgery platform] reaffirms B + L’s commitment to introducing innovative products to the Japanese market,” said Hideyuki Ashikaga, president, B + L Japan. “We anticipate that the combination of Topcon’s sales strength and service organization with B + L’s technology will advance the standards of eye care as the aging of Japan’s population continues.”

“This partnership with B + L is an excellent opportunity for Topcon Medical Japan to enhance our product offerings to our customers significantly,” said Hiroshi Fukuzawa, eye-care business unit director, executive managing director, and operating officer, Topcon Corp. “[The proprietary microsurgery platform] is a next-generation product that will evolve the surgical landscape in Japan by providing the most advanced technology for both vitreoretinal and cataract surgery in a single system. With a full-scale entry into the vitreoretinal and cataract surgery systems, we expect sales synergies with our already existing optical coherence tomography, operation microscope, ophthalmic laser, and our other products.”

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