ATL and Medison extend ultrasound partnership three more years

ATL Ultrasound is pleased with fellow ultrasound manufacturer Medison’s development of three midpriced systems and has extended a two-year-old strategic agreement between the companies. ATL markets the systems under its own logo.

Korea-based Medison started manufacturing ATL’s Ultramark 400, a digital gray-scale system designed for the ob/gyn market, two years ago. The Ultramark 400 was followed by the HDI 1500 in 1999. The HDI 1500 is a mobile system designed for radiology, cardiology, vascular imaging, obstetrics and gynecology, and the ER.

Also in 1999, Medison began manufacturing the Ultramark 400C system, which replaced the Ultramark 400. The Ultramark 400C system offered ob/gyn practitioners color-flow technology. At the May meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in San Francisco, ATL announced an upgrade to the Ultramark 400C system that includes a three-dimensional imaging option.

Last month ATL Ultrasound, a subsidiary of Philips Medical Systems, upgraded the HDI 1500 with several new cardiology features including stress-echo functioning and a broadband, MPT 7-4 scanhead for multiplane transesophageal imaging. The upgrade is available now.

All three systems created by Medison for ATL are priced in the $30,000 to $90,000 range.

As part of the extended agreement, Medison will be able to tap into ATL’s worldwide distribution channels. Medison officials in Korea estimate their company will export systems worth about $100 million over the three years of the agreement.

The only ATL system made by Medison that is sold exclusively in North America is the Ultramark 400C, according to Victor Reddick, ATL’s senior vice president of global marketing, sales, and service.

Medison considers ATL a strategic partner rather than just a distributor, said Medison’s Teo Han.

Medison’s U.S. headquarters are in Cypress, CA. The company also produces the Voluson 530D and Sonus 9900. The distribution agreement with ATL will allow Medison to sell the Sonus 9900, a multibeam 3-D ultrasound system the company introduced in foreign markets last May, according to Han. He said Medison will introduce a new system with 3-D capabilities for ATL next year.