On October 25, 2024, Medtronic and Philips announced the establishment of a strategic advocacy partnership centered on stroke care. The two companies will work together to raise awareness of the potential health and economic benefits that timely diagnosis and treatment of stroke can bring to patients, families and society, and further expand and strengthen their partnership with the World Stroke Organization. It is reported that this cooperation has three key focus areas, including raising public awareness of stroke symptoms and the importance of timely medical treatment, improving treatment accessibility by increasing the number of hospitals with stroke treatment capabilities and providing training, and using advanced technology to create a comprehensive stroke care system to support early diagnosis, effective treatment and postoperative monitoring.

Philips and Medtronic reach cooperation It is reported that in this cooperation, Medtronic and Philips will work together to advocate for raising awareness of the potential health and economic benefits that improved timely stroke diagnosis and treatment can bring to patients, families and society. Medtronic Neurovascular and Philips will also further expand and strengthen their partnership with the World Stroke Organization (WSO). After joining the newly established World Stroke Organization Advocacy Alliance, the two will develop a coordinated strategy to address the burden of stroke. And work with other stakeholders to share the latest research results, exchange best practices and promote improvements. Medtronic said: "Stroke care is a race against time. By joining forces with Philips, we can help accelerate access to life-saving treatments like mechanical thrombectomy. Jointly advocate for necessary investments in stroke care infrastructure to reduce the burden on patients and healthcare systems around the world."

It is reported that this collaboration has three key focus areas: First, Philips and Medtronic aim to increase awareness. They hope to promote public understanding of stroke symptoms and the importance of seeking care immediately; second, improve access to treatment by expanding the number of stroke-ready hospitals and providing training; finally, they hope to use advanced technology to create a comprehensive stroke care system. These systems support early diagnosis, effective treatment and postoperative monitoring. "Our new collaboration with Medtronic Neurovascular and our ongoing collaboration with the World Stroke Organization underscore our shared commitment to transforming stroke care," said Carla Goulart Peron, Chief Medical Officer of Philips. "With advanced technology and a focus on collaboration, now is the time to act to ensure that stroke patients receive timely stroke care wherever they are."

In the field of neurointervention, Medtronic is undoubtedly the global leader. According to the data from the China Medical Device Blue Book, the market size of cerebrovascular intervention in 2018 was 4.8 billion yuan, showing a high degree of concentration and a monopoly by foreign capital. Foreign brands account for more than 80% of the domestic market share, and Medtronic alone accounts for 60% of the market share, making it the leading company in the neurointervention industry.
Medtronic's real global leadership in the field of neurointervention began with the completion of its acquisition of Covidien Medical for US$42.9 billion in 2015, which became the most watched merger and acquisition case in the history of medical devices at that time. Covidien acquired ev3, a neurointerventional company founded in 2000, for $2.6 billion in 2010. It is a medical company focusing on interventional therapy and specializing in the peripheral cardiac and neurointerventional markets. It has developed a series of products such as coils, balloons, microcatheters and microguidewires. With the acquisition, Medtronic has introduced a variety of cutting-edge medical technologies and products such as liquid embolic systems, coils, intracranial vascular stents, intracranial thrombectomy stents, blood flow-guided dense mesh stents, intracranial support catheters, balloons, microcatheters, and microguidewires.

At present, Medtronic's stroke solutions mainly include the following aspects: 1. Medtronic's Solitaire™ intracranial thrombectomy stent is a leading technology product in the field of endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The thrombectomy stent has the advantages of rapid thrombectomy and blood circulation recanalization, and can quickly restore blood supply to the brain, striving for better treatment effects and prognosis for patients. Between 2013 and 2018, the stent led or was mainly involved in as many as 12 high-level studies. The results confirmed that its combination with intravenous thrombolytic drugs (IV-TPA) can bring better vascular patency rates and significantly improve functional prognosis for appropriate patients with acute large vessel occlusive ischemic stroke. 2. Intracranial aneurysm is one of the common causes of hemorrhagic stroke. It is also a tumor-like protrusion formed by abnormal changes in the localized cerebral artery vessels, which is prone to rupture and bleeding. Blood flow guidance therapy is an innovative method for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms with Medtronic's Pipeline™Flex blood flow guidance dense mesh stent. It enters the blood vessel from the femoral artery at the root of the thigh, places the stent in the vascular segment where the aneurysm is located, causes thrombosis in the aneurysm, and forms a biofilm at the neck of the aneurysm to achieve the purpose of occluding the aneurysm, so that the aneurysm wall no longer bears the blood flow impact pressure, thereby reducing the risk of recanalization and rupture. Compared with craniotomy clipping treatment and traditional interventional embolization treatment, it has the advantages of less trauma, faster recovery and lower surgical risk. 3. The Reveal Linq™ insertable cardiac monitor can be used to monitor the heart condition of stroke patients, as heart problems are closely related to stroke. The monitor is an implantable, patient-activated and automatically activated monitoring system that can record subcutaneous electrocardiograms, which helps to detect cardiac abnormalities in patients in a timely manner and provide a basis for subsequent treatment. Other auxiliary treatment methods Embolic protection device: During intravascular surgery, it is used to capture and remove embolic materials to reduce the risk of complications caused by the detachment of materials such as blood clots during surgery. Drug delivery system: Provide targeted drug delivery for stroke patients to ensure that the drug can accurately reach the lesion site and improve the treatment effect.

In October 2023, Philips announced a two-year partnership with the World Stroke Organization (WSO). The cooperation is based on a common commitment to provide improved solutions in stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and support. Both parties will use their respective advantages to raise public awareness of stroke as a global health issue.
In fact, as a recognized leader in stroke solutions, Philips has been committed to supporting rapid treatment of stroke and minimizing the impact on patients, including stroke monitoring and communication solutions in ambulances, remote stroke patient assessment, artificial intelligence (AI) technology that supports diagnostic imaging and analysis, image-guided therapy, and neurological and cardiac monitoring and assessment. At the same time, Philips also has a fully integrated vascular suite system to facilitate mechanical thrombectomy for stroke treatment.
It is worth mentioning that Philips also announced the launch of the Azurion Neuro Biplane system in February this year, further enhancing the company's Azurion series of image-guided therapy solutions.

It is reported that the new Azurion Neuro Biplane system is designed to advance and optimize the diagnosis and treatment process of stroke and neurovascular diseases. It is equipped with 2D and 3D imaging technology to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment. The system is used in conjunction with Philips' latest Neuro Suite software and services to provide a fully integrated solution for neurointerventional physicians. This solution includes Philips' ClarityIQ low-dose imaging technology and a series of tools and value-added services dedicated to neurology, which can provide unprecedented efficiency, flexibility and control.
In addition, the new features of the Azurion Neuro Biplane system include enhanced C-arm rotation & imaging angles, 2D to 3D imaging fast conversion equipment, integrated console control to reduce the frequency of leaving the sterile area, automatic beam rotation to directly obtain images at each rotation angle, and a new head fixator to support enhanced stroke care.

Stroke remains one of the most serious health problems in the world. According to a report by the Lancet sub-journal, stroke is the second leading cause of death in the world, accounting for 12% of the total number of deaths; it is estimated that by 2025, the number of people dying from stroke each year in the world will reach 10 million.
As leaders in the field of stroke, Philips and Medtronic both have irreplaceable solutions and products. By integrating the advanced technologies and resources of both parties, it is expected to provide more timely and effective treatment for stroke patients and reduce the burden of stroke on patients and healthcare systems.

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