Business ExpandingElekta, a Swedish company that leads precision radiotherapy solutions, steadily expands its business in Japan

Founded in Stockholm in 1972 and listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm, Elektais a Swedish global company that specializes in the development of radio therapy equipment, including stereotactic radiosurgery using Leksell Gamma Knife¹, Adaptive Radiotherapy with Linac²/MR Linac, and brachytherapy, as an integrated radiotherapy vender. The company's hardware and software are used by more than 6000 medical institutions globally for the treatment of cancer and brain diseases. It has a global team of approximately 4,700 people, including local subsidiaries in 40 countries and regions, and provides solutions and services in more than 120 countries worldwide. Leksell Gamma Knife, developed by the company, was introduced to Japan in 1990 for the first time. Currently, 336 units have been installed worldwide, 49 of which are in Japan, the country in world with the highest number of LGK per capita and second only to the United States.

Elekta K.K. is the company’s Japanese subsidiary established in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture in 1993 and moved to Tokyo in 2009. Currently, it has approximately 150 employees, and is developing its broad portfolio. In recent years, the company has been selling products such as CT-integrated Linac developed jointly with Canon Medical Systems Corporation, and Elekta Unity, a high-precision radiation therapy system that integrates high-field, high-resolution 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by Philips, the company’s Dutch partner, and Linac. In addition, as a global enterprise, the company is actively working on SBT (Science Based Targets), including a 46.2% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from its products by 2032³.

Elekta Unity has been introduced to Chiba University Hospital, Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital, and Tohoku University Hospital. Globally, as of September 2022, the company had received orders for more than 115 units in 27 countries, 50 of which are already in clinical operation. The cases treated at each institution to date cover more than 40 types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer with a low 5-year survival rate and liver and esophageal cancers with relatively low survival rates.

Mr. Motohiko Kimura, who has been more than 25 years at Elekta, and currently a President of Elekta K.K. commented: “In the high-growth APAC market, The percentage of cancer patients receiving radiotherapy is 25-30% in Japan, which is very low compared to other countries, such as the United States⁴. With Elekta's comprehensive portfolio, we are committed to expanding the indications for radiotherapy so that all cancer patients can have hope for their cancer treatment.”

Going forward, the company will continue to expand its portfolio as an integrated vendor of radiotherapy by applying these spirits to external radiotherapy such as Linac, and the cancer therapy information systems that manage and operate them.

To help raise awareness of Elekta K.K. in Japan, JETRO Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC) provided PR support (Success Stories).