Medical firm secures first Japanese exports

A Huddersfield-based medical firm that specialises in preventing hair loss for chemotherapy patients is launching its products in Japan following regulatory approval.

PAXMAN manufactures a scalp cooling device with cold caps that are used to reduce the temperature of the scalp during chemotherapy, which can reduce and prevent hair loss. The business supplies its products to 98% of hospitals in the UK and has more than 3,000 machines based worldwide including in the US, Turkey, Mexico and Australia.

Paxman Scalp Cooling’s UK operations currently has a turnover of £5.6m and employs 35 people in Huddersfield HQ.

The healthcare firm has now received regulatory approval to start supplying its products in Japan after a successful trial in five of the country’s leading cancer clinics.

The launch will continue collaboration between PAXMAN and Japan’s Century Medical who have already placed an order for 20 PAXMAN scalp cooling systems which will be installed at Tokyo Medical Center Hospital and Kyoto University Hospital, with deliveries starting in June.

Japan has a universal healthcare system, but patients are expected to pay around 30% of medical bills themselves. The country is regarded as having some of the most innovative healthcare treatments in the world.

The firm has been manufacturing products in Huddersfield since 1997 and was one of the founding members of the Made in Britain organisation.

Richard Paxman, CEO of Paxman Cooling Systems, said: “Japan has approximately 1 million new cancer cases every year, and receiving regulatory approval marks a key milestone for us as we strive to become the global expert in scalp cooling.

“What we do is so much more than a job. We want everybody who’s going through chemotherapy to have access to our treatments.  A key part of our global strategy is signifying the quality and provenance of our goods, which is why we first joined the Made in Britain organisation. Using the marque has helped raise awareness that all our machines are made right here in Britain.”

Close