As one of the important treatment methods for tumors, the global radiotherapy industry is currently entering the path of precision, intelligence, and personalized development. Among them, precision radiotherapy, as an efficient, personalized, and precise cancer treatment method, is considered a new era in cancer treatment.

Recently, there has been good news from the radiation therapy industry once again.

On November 25th, Baiyang Pharmaceutical officially announced the acquisition of ZAP Surgical Systems, Inc.'s head and neck X-ray radiosurgery treatment system (trade name: ZAP-X) ® The exclusive commercial rights of the Mars Ark Radiosurgical Robot (ZAP-X) and related accessories in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau will fully promote the faster landing and wider application of ZAP-X in the Chinese market.

01. The world's first self shielded radiotherapy surgical robot, solving pain points in the head and neck radiation surgery industry
Public information shows that the common indications for ZAP-X include all brain tumors such as acoustic neuroma, meningioma, pituitary tumor, as well as arteriovenous malformations, trigeminal neuralgia, and other head and neck diseases. And there are widespread unmet patient needs in this field of diseases.

According to data from the National Cancer Center, in 2022, there were 87500 new cases of brain tumors and 56600 deaths among the types of malignant tumors in China. More seriously, with the continuous improvement of medical technology, the survival period of various types of cancer patients has been prolonged in recent years, and the incidence of brain metastases is increasing. For example, 20%~65% of lung cancer patients will have brain metastasis in the course of disease, and lung cancer ranks first in the incidence rate of cancer in China.

With the advantages of non-invasive, high-precision, and high-efficiency treatment, gamma knife has become the most common treatment method for head and neck radiotherapy, and is used to treat various benign and malignant brain tumors, such as gliomas, meningiomas, and neurofibromas.

However, it should be pointed out that due to the natural half-life of radiation sources, a gamma knife needs to replace its radiation source every 5 to 7 years. Therefore, the total holding cost required to purchase a gamma knife is relatively high.

The ZAP-X developed and produced by ZAP Surgical uses electron linear accelerator technology to achieve non coplanar radiation dose delivery through two axes, while eliminating the need for active radiation sources. There is no longer a need to replace expensive radioactive sources, nor is there a continuous regulatory and safety burden.

World's first self blocking function
It is understood that due to the release of a large amount of high-energy radiation during the operation of radiotherapy equipment, it is usually necessary to build a dedicated radiation shielding room with a wall thickness of several meters when installing radiotherapy equipment to prevent radiation leakage or diffusion to the surrounding environment. This not only places high demands on the physical space of the hospital, but also increases the construction cost.

As the world's first and currently the only radiotherapy equipment with complete self shielding function, ZAP-X creatively combines a linear accelerator with a self shielding radiation structure, without the need for a radiation protection room, and can be installed in more places, reducing the cost and procedures of hospital equipment installation.

Provide the best SRS solution for head and neck diseases
The appearance of ZAP-X is similar to a large gyroscope, with a treatment bed that can achieve three degrees of freedom of movement installed inside, and two rotatable circular orbits with an angle of 45 degrees. Under the combined action of the two, the device can provide thousands of non coplanar irradiation angles, making it easy to achieve non coplanar radiotherapy.

Due to its specialized development and design for solid tumors and lesions in the head and neck region, without the need for body radiotherapy, ZAP-X has selected 3MV as the main beam energy for the medical electron linear accelerator, with a leakage rate of less than 0.002%. The ultra short 45cm source wheelbase design reduces the beam penumbra by more than 50%.

The innovative technology design of ZAP-X maximizes the concentration of radiation on the target area to shoot tumor cells, while reducing damage to surrounding tissues, ensuring high precision of treatment.

Real time image guidance and dose verification
ZAP-X has installed KV level imaging equipment on the rack for three-dimensional imaging and monitoring, which can be used for pre treatment positioning verification and image guidance during treatment. A MV detection array is embedded directly opposite the accelerator, which can monitor the radiation dose and impact position of each treatment beam in real time, with an accuracy of sub millimeter level. Once the system detects a deviation in radiation dose, the equipment will immediately stop operating urgently to ensure the safety and accuracy of treatment to the greatest extent possible.

02. In China, Baiyang assists in the localization of high-end medical devices
Currently, high-end medical devices have become a key area of global competition. High end medical equipment is a "national treasure" and is regarded as one of the indicators of the country's manufacturing and high-tech development level. Radiation therapy is one of the most concentrated application areas of high-end medical devices in China.

At the same time, the "localization" of medical devices has become one of the most concerning topics for multinational medical equipment companies. With the continuous introduction of policies in China to encourage and support the localization of equipment, "localization" is constantly being redefined and its connotation is becoming increasingly rich. Under the demand for the development of high-precision and cutting-edge industries, the policy of "localization" is the "cradle" for both macro level industries and micro level enterprises.

As an A-share pharmaceutical industrialization platform, Baiyang Pharmaceutical mainly focuses on the development, production, and commercial operation of pharmaceutical and medical products. For this cooperation, Baiyang Pharmaceutical expressed optimism about the market potential of precision radiotherapy and hopes to provide more advanced and accurate radiosurgery treatment plans for Chinese patients through joint efforts, promoting the innovative development of precision radiotherapy technology worldwide. Meanwhile, ZAP Surgical can also provide channel support for the global sales of large medical devices by Baiyang.

It is worth mentioning that the main product of the two companies' cooperation, ZAP-X, has obtained market approval in 19 countries and regions, and has been installed and operated in many places such as Europe, the United States, and Japan. It will have over 1200 global clinical applications by 2023.

In 2019, ZAP-X was installed in the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army for clinical trial research, and in June 2023, it obtained innovative product registration approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China, officially entering China. In addition to cooperation in equity investment and commercialization, Baiyang Pharmaceutical's subsidiary has also reached a scale production agreement with ZAP Surgical for ZAP-X. Baiyang will be responsible for the scale production of ZAP-X covering the Chinese and even global markets.

In fact, before collaborating with ZAP Surgical, Baiyang had already established its presence in the radiation therapy industry. Baiyang Pharmaceutical Group, the parent company of Baiyang Pharmaceutical, has invested in and incubated the world's leading medical linear accelerator R&D and production enterprise, Huake Pioneer. Its first domestic 4 π radiotherapy system HK-601A has recently passed the type test and is currently undergoing clinical communication.

As an industry investor, Baiyang Pharmaceutical Group's investment incubation focuses on three major value tracks: innovative drugs, high-end medical devices, and basic research platforms. In the high-end medical equipment field, in addition to medical electronic linear accelerators, Baiyang Pharmaceutical Group has also entered multiple sub tracks such as fully magnetic levitation artificial hearts, nuclear medicine SPECT/CT, photon CT, and electromagnetic navigation equipment for ultrasound.

Source: http://qixieke.com/Font/index/detailPage.html?id=3264-106