Instrumentarium, Nycomed join online exchange

Instrumentarium Imaging and Nycomed Amersham are the latest medical device companies to promote themselves through e-business. Instrumentarium announced this month that it intends to join the Global Healthcare Exchange, a consortium of medical device companies, while Nycomed’s announcement came just last week.

Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International, GE Medical Systems, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic founded the exchange this past spring (SCAN 4/14/00). The site will provide access to product catalogues and online ordering and status confirmation. The exchange is expected to launch this fall in the U.S. and to expand worldwide.

The five companies, plus Instrumentarium, Nycomed, and other companies that have since joined, are equal partners in ownership of the healthcare exchange. The exchange is set to launch at the end of September, when it will announce its final name.

Nycomed specializes in imaging agents and oncology therapies. Instrumentarium of Finland specializes in anesthesia and other medical equipment.

The online exchange will offer medical devices, imaging products, and accessories from a variety of manufacturers. Exchange creators say customers will probably be hospitals and acute-care clinics. They will be able to simultaneously order equipment and get clinical information about products.