Chindex
Press Room CHINDEX
INTERNATIONAL, INC. BETHESDA, MARYLAND June 22, 1999 - Chindex International, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHDX) (U.S.-China Industrial Exchange, Inc.), the largest independent American distributor of Western healthcare products and services in the People's Republic of China, today announced an exclusive agreement with Trex Medical Corporation (ASE:TXM) for the distribution of Trex Medical Unicath cardiac catheterization labs in China. Trex Medical is one of the world's leading manufacturers of imaging and image processing systems used in interventional cardiac catheterization procedures such as balloon angioplasty and stent placement. The first Trex Medical cardiac catheterization lab sold under the agreement, a Unicath C with complete workstation, will be installed this month at Weifang Hospital, a 500-bed teaching hospital. The installation will be the first cardiac catheterization laboratory in Weifang, a city of one million in Shandong province. Roberta Lipson, President and CEO of Chindex, commented from Beijing, "Chindex has been a market leader in areas of cardiology and cardiovascular equipment in the China market for many years. Our agreement with Trex Medical marks another major product offering for us in interventional cardiology, an area of exceptional growth potential in this market." "Thousands of cath labs built by Trex Medical have been installed worldwide and we are very optimistic about the potential for gaining a prominent position here in China. We have already placed the first Trex Medical cath lab in China at a major provincial hospital using our annual loan program with the Ministry of Public Health which is guaranteed by the U.S. Export Import Bank. The system was shipped to China early in 1999 and is being installed this month. We expect to use similar loan programs in the future for other cath lab customers. Depending on the configuration and application, the Trex Medical Unicath systems can sell for up to $1.4 million each. This represents a significant new revenue potential for us," Lipson concluded. Walter Schneider, president of Trex Medical's XRE division said, "We are committed to expanding sales of our products in select international markets. China is a key area of strategic focus for us. Chindex has a fine track record for sales and support of capital equipment in China spanning nearly two decades. They have established their organization as one of the foremost medical equipment distributors in China. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Chindex." Trex Medical's Unicath family of cardiac catheterization imaging systems utilizes the unique, patented parallelogram positioning system that has been time-proven in more than half the worlds cardiac catheterization labs. Unique features such as Full Frame Zoom™, the DVFX Digital Video Filter System, and Variable Rate Pulsed Fluoro provide powerful resolution and detail, bringing difficult coronary stents into view with remarkable precision and at significantly reduced dose. Chindex is a leading American company in healthcare in the Greater Chinese marketplace including Hong Kong and Macau. It provides representative and distribution services to a number of multinational companies including Acuson, Johnson & Johnson, and Kendall Healthcare Products Company. It also operates a private hospital corporation in China. With over eighteen years experience, 285 employees, and operations in the United States, China, and Hong Kong, the Chindex strategy is to expand its cross-cultural reach by providing leading edge technologies, quality products and services to Greater China's professional communities. More information is available at http://www.chindex.com on the Internet. Trex Medical Corporation is the worlds leading manufacturer of mammography equipment and minimally invasive digital breast-biopsy systems, as well as the worlds largest manufacturer of digital dental x-ray equipment. In addition, the company manufactures general-purpose and specialized medical imaging systems, including those used during diagnostic and interventional vascular and cardiac procedures, such as balloon angioplasty. Trex Medical is a public subsidiary of Thermo Electron Corporation, a Fortune 500 company occupying the number two position in the medical products and equipment industry list. More information is available at http://www.trexmedical.com on the Internet. The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with uncertainties pertaining to customer orders, demand for products and services, receipt of financing and guarantee commitments, development of markets for the Company's products and services and other risks identified in the Company's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. # # # #
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