Sectra and Visiopharm enter cooperation for open systems in Digital Pathology

International medical imaging IT company Sectra (http://www.sectra.com/) (STO:SECTB) and digital pathology company Visiopharm A/S have reached agreement on an open exchange of pathology images between their respective digital pathology systems. The companies agree that open solutions and the free exchange of information between the various healthcare IT systems without "internal company formats” are of benefit to both customers and providers. The integration of the two systems will enable customers to work in the platform they consider best for the respective application. Open systems allow the customers to adapt the solution to their needs. Not only do open systems promote increased innovation and application of new technology, they also enhance the user’s choice and contribute to a lower overall cost of digitization.

”For many years, Visiopharm has worked in digital pathology providing leading-edge expertise in image analysis and now also for end-to-end digital pathology solutions. Sectra is established as a market leader for integrated diagnostics using images from radiology and digital pathology in the same IT system. The agreement on free exchange with Sectra is an important step forward for open imaging management in digital pathology. As two leading companies in their respective fields, both with a base in the Scandinavian tradition, we look forward to continued favorable cooperation with Sectra,” says Michael Grunkin, CEO of Visiopharm.

Torbjörn Kronander, President and CEO of Sectra, says: "Expanded cooperation between providers is important for the market to gain momentum. Customers don’t want closed solutions that prevent free integration between their different suppliers of choice. Open systems are the only conceivable way forward. However, the market for digital pathology is still in its infancy and as in all early IT markets, there are players who want to lock customers into their own solutions. This is something that usually disappears as the market matures. Sectra and Visiopharm are now showing the way and will be able to offer solutions that can communicate images between our solutions in both directions. Visiopharm is a strong company in certified digital image analysis and we are pleased to be able to offer our customers such an open communications opportunity.”

The interface between both providers will be based on international standards (such as DICOM) and is a future-proof solution for customers. About half of the digital pathology market’s providers support such open solutions today. The interface will be available from both suppliers in 2017.

About Visiopharm Visiopharm is a leading provider of quantitative image analysis software and end-to-end Digital Pathology solutions for Hospitals, biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions around the world. Recently, Visiopharm has expanded to include ONCOTOPIX® Diagnostics a robust solution for cancer diagnostics with CE-IVD algorithms for the breast panel, integrated LIS driven workflow, and VirtualDoubleStaining™. Visiopharm’s software is featured in over 900 scientific publications, and is compatible with leading slide scanner manufacturers, data management software, and staining providers.

Visiopharm, a privately owned company, is an international business with over 600 licenses placed, with countless users, in more than 30 countries. A growing network of authorized distributors and integration partners support the growth of Visiopharm solutions on several continents including North America, Europe and Asia.

About Sectra The world needs more efficient healthcare and more secure communication. Sectra plays a key role in meeting these needs. Sectra assists hospitals throughout the world to enhance the efficiency of care, and authorities and defense forces in Europe to protect society’s most sensitive information. The company was founded in 1978, has its head office in Linköping, Sweden, with subsidiaries in 14 countries, and operates through partners worldwide. Sales in the 2015/2016 fiscal year totaled SEK 1,073 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. For more information, visit www.sectra.com

In the medical market, Sectra develops and sells IT solutions for the management and communication of all types of medical images – primarily in radiology, mammography, pathology and orthopaedics, as well as other departments where medical images are used. Sectra has a strategic focus on making cancer care more efficient. More than 1,700 hospitals, clinics and imaging centers worldwide use Sectra’s systems daily. This makes Sectra one of the world’s leading providers of IT solutions for managing medical images and patient information. The company commands a market-leading position in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Portugal, holds a prominent position in the UK and is growing in the US. Sectra has delivered some of the largest installations of medical IT systems worldwide and its systems have been installed in North America, Scandinavia and most major countries in Europe and the Far East.

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