facebook twitter rss 모바일웹

[의학신문·일간보사=오인규 기자] Insung Medical, a company standing at the forefront of localizing medical disposable goods, which Korea has long been dependent on imports, will unveil various products by taking part in the International Medical and Hospital Equipment Show (KIMES 2021) held in COEX, Seoul.

Located in Wonju City, Gangwon-do Province, Insung Medical is based on "Insung Trading Company," founded in 1984 to import and supply medical disposable goods. In 1993, Insung Medical was established, and from 2000, it began its full-fledged manufacturing.

Since then, Insung Medical exerted efforts to develop medical infusion devise, surgical devices and other medical disposable goods on its own with the aim of localization them which Korea had solely been reliant on foreign imports.

To this end, it successfully developed medical infusion devices - infusion set, in-line filter, catheter for vessel, implantable infusion device - thereby stationing itself as a representative medical device manufacturer in Korea.

Since such devices are products that are either injected or come into direct contact with the human body, the company has ceaselessly invested in R&D to secure biological safety and use eco-friendly materials, while continuously innovating itself by launching new technology and products made possible through close cooperation with medical practitioners.

■ Standing at the Forefront of Developing Central Venous Catheter, which Korea Relies on Import

Lately, Insung Medical is focused on developing central venous catheter, which Korea is relying heavily on import despite the fact that it is a device that requires interventional treatment, and the company plans to unveil products tailored for all patients from neonates to adults to meet the needs of the market.

Central venous catheter is a tube-shaped device that is injected into the central vessels near the patient's heart and can be categorized into central venous catheter, peripherally inserted type, tunneling type and implantable type. It is used among patients who need repeated blood vessel connection for various purposes such as administration of medication, blood collection, measurement of central venous pression and supply of nutritional supplements. Such device is essential for the therapeutics treatment of critically-ill or cancer patients.

While Korea has been fully dependent on implantable central venous port, Insung Medical has successfully developed "Human Port" in 2010. The device is being utilized for the long-term injection of anticancer drug or nutritional supplements for cancer patients.

According to Insung Medical, "Human Port," a Level-4 classified medical device, mainly is composed of titanium and silicon that are safe to be implanted into human body. It adds the product has been verified for its suitability for a long-period of time, and has made to be differentiated from imported product as it is a suitable size for Korean people. It has also been proven for its stable performance and quality, which has led to an increase in export to many foreign markets including South America and Europe.

In addition, "Human Catheter," a peripherally injected central venous catheter for neonates, which Insung Medical has made with its own technology has been commercialized since 2015.

While a prototype of the product had been developed in 2010, it underwent a long period of safety and usability assessments as the device is intended to be used for neonates. Insung Medical explains that the product, which is only being sold by two companies globally, has a tube diameter of some 0.33mm, and has been designed to be suitable to be injected into neonates' vessels that are extremely weak and easily prone to damage.

CEO Song Jun-ho of Insung Medical says, "the technology that the company possesses to manufacture central venous catheter is nearing its end stages, and thus it can soon roll out a product," underscoring that "the company will make all-out efforts and preparations to take a great leap forward as a global leading company in manufacturing catheters by also localizing the production of related accessories as well."

■ Extension at Wonju Plant... Seeking to Expand Overseas Market

While Insjung Medical is adding momentum to new product development, it is also seeking to expand its overseas market and increase production. To this end, it has laid the cornerstone for increasing production through the extension of its existing Wonju plant.

This is contributing to job creation and vitalizing the regional economy. Last year, the company has been chosen as the top small-and-medium-sized enterprise (SME) to work for and a promising SME for exports, winning grand prize for Gangwon SME Award and Gangwon-do Province Job Creation Award.

While Insung Medical has focused on domestic demand for a long period of time, it has now set its long-term vision to make efforts to enter into the global market and contribute to Korea's trade.

Based on its initial intention of starting manufacturing, the company also aims to localize the costly imported medical devices that Korea is relying from overseas sources to further contribute to the incumbent government's goal of reducing public medical burden.

CEO Song says, "the advanced bio and converged medical device industries must be nurtured and developed as new-generation growth engines to lead the era of fourth industrial revolution," adding that "such industry has garnered much attention, giving birth to a legislation on the nurturing of the medical device industry, but companies are mulling over their own survival." He explains "the government needs to come up with alternatives and support that reflect the opinion and practical stance of domestic manufacturers."

[Meet the on-line version of Medical Newspaper special edition articles that are distributed physically at KIMES 2021]