Lunit Introduced to 137 Institutions in Japan Within 6 Months of Launch

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Medical artificial intelligence (AI) company Lunit is continuing its successful entry into the Japanese market.

Lunit announced on the 8th that six months after launching its AI imaging diagnostic solution in Japan at the end of last year, the number of medical institutions adopting it in Japan has reached 137. In particular, it was explained that Lunit's products have been introduced in various sized institutions including large-scale screening centers in Tokyo, national hospitals in Osaka, and other advanced general hospitals and small to medium-sized medical institutions across Japan.

Lunit officially entered the Japanese market in 2019 by partnering with Fujifilm, the leading company in Japan's medical image storage and transmission system (PACS) and medical X-ray device market share. Then, in August last year, Lunit received official approval from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) of Japan for its AI-based chest X-ray image analysis solution 'CXR-AID' and launched CXR-AID in the Japanese market from the end of last year.

Compared to Lunit surpassing 100 hospitals two years after its domestic launch, supplying products to 137 medical institutions in just six months after product launch is considered encouraging. Furthermore, the recent application of medical fees for medical AI by the Japanese government is expected to enhance Lunit's profitability in the future. The Health Insurance Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan applied additional fees for 'image diagnosis assistance using AI technology' through the revision of medical fees in April. As this policy encourages medical institutions to adopt medical AI, it is expected to have a positive impact on Lunit's expansion in the Japanese market.

Seobeom Seok, CEO of Lunit, said, "Lunit's important strategy is to expand market share by collaborating with global medical device companies such as Fujifilm based on advanced technology in the medical AI field," adding, "As advanced countries like the U.S. and Japan are establishing and applying medical AI fees, we will continue to grow as a global company based on solid technology and institutional support."

Mami Yamashita, head of Fujifilm Medical Systems Division, said, "In Japan, the number of imaging procedures such as X-rays is increasing every year, so the time spent on interpretation is also increasing, raising the need for the introduction of medical AI," and added, "Fujifilm will strengthen its collaborative relationship with Lunit to provide differentiated value to customers through its unique X-ray technology and medical AI and to expand its global market share."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.