News & Topics

Aug 20, 2015

Business collaboration now under discussion with Japan Animal Referral Medical Center, a provider of advanced medicine for pets
- Aiming for total support of community animal hospitals and pet owners -

Pets (dogs and cats) have been called "companion animals" in recent years and have come to be considered part of the family. The average life expectancy of pets has grown year by year and the increased awareness about maintenance and management of pet health by pet owners is expanding the utilization of animal hospitals, centered on urban areas. Illnesses have also diversified with the aging population of pets, increasing the demands of pet owners for more advanced veterinary medicine.

ARKRAY, Inc. (hereafter, ARKRAY) has been developing and providing products aimed at the front line of veterinary medicine based on technologies garnered through developing medical devices and reagents for humans over the years, with a focus on diabetes and urine testing. In September 2014, ARKRAY established a medical device and reagent brand for animals called thinka^* in a proactive development aimed at expanding the veterinary medicine business.
The Japan Animal Referral Medical Center (hereafter, JARMeC) provides advanced veterinary services based on an intimate collaboration with animal clinics that provide primary care to pet owners (primary care facilities).

ARKRAY will take this opportunity to start examining business collaborations with JARMeC and related avenues as a new strategy in expanding its veterinary business. The two companies will enter specific discussions with the aim of developing and providing new high value-added products and services targeted at veterinarians at primary veterinary care facilities as well as to pet owners, by combining ARKRAY's business assets, including its global sales and service networks and expertise, with the advanced secondary care provision system and various tools currently under development, which are the strengths of JARMeC.

ARKRAY will continue to contribute to the health of animals through development and provision of a wide range of products and services that respond to the needs of veterinarians and pet owners at animal hospitals within the community.

Details Being Considered for the Business Collaboration

(1)Provision of tools to strengthen links between veterinary medicine facilities (electronic medical records, etc.)
(2)Provision of tools to manage animal habitats (monitoring systems, activity meters, etc.).
(3)Provision of training and instructional tools for the practice of veterinary medicine.
(4)Provision of non-treatment services to veterinarians and pet owners (establishment of consultancy centers, etc.)
(5)Global expansion of advanced veterinary medicine (hold seminars for veterinarians, etc.)

We will utilize the management resources, expertise and strengths of both companies, in efforts apart from those listed above, as well as aim to create a new business model that contributes to the further progress of veterinary medicine.

References

*The brand name "thinka" means "think animals", and represents our desire to "think" about the health of animals and the "evolution" (shinka in Japanese) of veterinary medicine. The brand consists of medical devices and in vitro diagnostic reagents designed by ARKRAY specifically for animals.