Portable Hemodialysis System

In India, ten percent of adults nearly 75 million suffer from chronic kidney disease and it is estimated that there are nearly 200,000 new End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients in the country requiring dialysis or kidney transplants every year. In spite of multiple efforts to decrease the high mortality and improve the quality of life of ESRD patients, several important infrastructure and economic barriers have prevented broader access to dialysis treatment in India.

Dialysis is performed using peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is by far the most widely used treatment option globally and in India. More than 90 percent of patients who undergo dialysis in India receive hemodialysis.

To help chronic kidney patients obtain dialysis, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, a leading healthcare provider in Asia and Medtronic Inc. a leader in medical technology have announced a collaboration to bring to market an innovative, affordable, and portable hemodialysis system in India to help improve access to care for ESRD patients.

Apollo Hospitals and Medtronic expect that the new portable system will broaden a healthcare provider’s capability to serve patients from the hospital to home with the aim to save overall costs to the healthcare system. The collaboration is looking to improve accessibility, outcomes, affordability, operational ease, and environmental protection while providing hemodialysis services to ESRD patients.

Medtronic has plans to develop and manufacture the key components of the system in India with an investment of $25 million. For the first time, Medtronic is establishing an India R&D team to focus on design, development, and manufacturing key components of the system in India. The commercial launch of the product is slated for 2016.