As policymakers and industry leaders prepare to gather at Interclean 2026, new insights highlight the significant economic and societal contribution of Europe’s tissue sector – an often overlooked but essential pillar of daily life, hygiene, and public health.

According to ETS’ latest socioeconomic impact analysis, the tissue industry:

• Supports over 421,000 jobs across Europe, with employment extending far beyond manufacturing into retail, logistics, and services
• Generates €19.7 billion in annual revenue, highlighting the sector’s role in Europe’s industrial and economic ecosystem
• Delivers 8.2 million tonnes of essential tissue products each year, supporting hygiene in homes, healthcare, and public spaces
• Plays a critical role in hygiene standards, particularly in healthcare settings, public facilities, and high-traffic environments

At a time when Europe is navigating complex discussions around sustainability, public health, and industrial policy, these findings underscore the importance of a balanced, evidence-based approach to hygiene solutions.

“Tissue products are a cornerstone of modern hygiene systems,” said Carlos Reinoso, Director General of the European Tissue Symposium (ETS). As policymakers consider future regulations, it is essential to recognise both the economic contribution of our sector and the critical role tissue plays in protecting public health. Decisions must be grounded in science, lifecycle thinking, and real-world usage.”

The findings contribute to the broader sustainability debate by highlighting the importance of lifecycle thinking, hygiene performance, and practical implementation.

Meet ETS at Interclean 2026

ETS will be present at Interclean 2026, engaging with policymakers, industry stakeholders, and media to discuss the implications of the study for Europe’s regulatory and sustainability landscape.

Journalists and attendees are invited to connect with ETS on-site to explore:

• The full socioeconomic impact of the tissue industry
• The role of tissue in maintaining hygiene and public health
• The importance of evidence-based policymaking in sustainability discussions

Media Opportunities

• On-site meetings with ETS representatives
• Access to key data and insights from the socioeconomic impact study
• Expert commentary on hygiene, sustainability, and regulatory developments

To arrange a meeting or interview, please contact:
Nadia Del Rio | press@europeantissue.com

Combining strong electronics manufacturing capabilities with biomedical engineering expertise, Taiwan has developed a dynamic MedTech ecosystem that continues to draw attention from global healthcare distributors, hospital procurement teams, and system integrators seeking scalable healthcare solutions.

Against this backdrop, Medical Taiwan 2026, organized by TAITRA, will take place June 25–27, 2026, at Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Exhibition Hall 1 in Taipei. The exhibition will bring together Taiwanese medical device manufacturers, healthcare technology innovators, and international buyers, offering a comprehensive platform for exploring new technologies and building cross-border partnerships.

Over the past decade, Taiwan has steadily strengthened its position in the global medical device industry. Its well-established electronics sector provides a strong technological foundation for developing advanced healthcare solutions that integrate hardware, software, and data-driven systems. Many Taiwanese companies are particularly known for integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with healthcare applications, supporting the development of smart hospital infrastructure, AI-assisted diagnostics, and connected medical devices designed for modern clinical environments.

Organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Medical Taiwan 2026 will highlight several major trends shaping the healthcare industry, including digital transformation, aging populations, and the growing demand for efficient healthcare delivery systems. This year’s exhibition focuses on three key themes:

• Innovative Care – Innovations in community and home healthcare solutions
• Smart Healthcare – Driving the future of digital and connected health
• Medical Supplies Hub – Comprehensive solutions for premium medical devices and consumables

Visitors will be able to explore a wide range of technologies, including AI-assisted medical imaging, remote patient monitoring solutions, rehabilitation and assistive devices for aging populations, hospital information system integration, and medical components supported by Taiwan’s strong OEM/ODM manufacturing capabilities.

In addition to product showcases, the exhibition will facilitate business collaboration through One-on-One Procurement Meetings organized by TAITRA, allowing international buyers to connect directly with Taiwanese suppliers based on their sourcing needs.

Medical Taiwan 2026 offers the ideal platform to discover new products, explore procurement opportunities, and stay ahead of global healthcare trends. From June 25 to 27 at TWTC Exhibition Hall 1 in Taipei, the exhibition will bring together industry leaders and innovators shaping the future of healthcare.

Register now to secure your spot to visit

Women’s HealthX (WoHX) is the number one event in women’s health, unifying the full lifecycle of female healthcare through data, science, and evidence-based innovation to close the sex difference data gap and drive better clinical outcomes for women worldwide.

On December 3–4, 2026 in Boston, WoHX will bring together 750 global leaders from pharma and biotech, hospitals and health systems, health insurers, employers, investors, startups, and government, all actively seeking proven technologies, data, and partners to advance women’s health care, research, and outcomes across the life course.

Unlike any other event, WoHX goes beyond discussion to focus on implementation of representative data sets to drive meaningful change. The exhibition directly addresses the conditions that affect women differently and disproportionately, across every stage of life.

Attendees will gain clear insight into which areas are overhyped versus underfunded, where the biggest evidence gaps remain, and how data, science, and evidence can drive measurable change in policy, reimbursement, product development, and clinical practice.

Julie Rios, Division Director, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at UPMC, shared why she is looking forward to attending:

“I’m looking forward to connecting with innovators across women’s health to explore new technologies, collaborations, and care models that can help us solve our most complex reproductive health cases and improve outcomes for patients who currently have limited options.”

Taking place in Boston, the global hub for healthcare innovation, research, and medical institutions, whose collaborative ecosystem aligns perfectly with WoHX’s mission to accelerate the adoption of clinical solutions, and improve outcomes for women worldwide.

Across seven dedicated stages spanning Evidence, Data & Innovation, Fertility & Reproductive Health, Menopause & Healthy Aging, Maternity & Maternal Care, Sexual Health & Wellness, Cognitive Health & Wellness, and Chronic Disease Management, attendees will benefit from:

• 100+ hours of free education from 150+ expert speakers
• Direct access to senior decision-makers and key industry leaders
• Tailored one-to-one meetings with solution providers across medical devices, CROs, and analytics software
• Hands-on exploration of AI-powered tools, digital therapeutics, wearables, telehealth, and integrated care models via the interactive HealthXpo floor, featuring live demonstrations and hands-on clinical showcases
• The Women’s Health Startup Zone, connecting founders directly with investors
• The Career Zone, linking attendees with postgraduate programs, universities, and research centres, alongside masterclasses in AI literacy, data analytics, and research innovation

Early confirmed speakers include:

• Michael Annichine, CEO, Magee-Womens Research Institute and Foundation
• David Friend, Chief Science Officer, Daré Bioscience
• Emily Lau, Director, Women’s Heart Health Program, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Carolee Lee, CEO & Founder, WHAM
• Suneela Vegunta, Vice Chair, Women’s Health Research Division, Mayo Clinic
• Barb DePree, Director of Women’s Health, Holland Hospital
• Jodi Neuhauser, Founder & CEO, In Women’s Health
• Julie Rios, Division Director, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, UPMC
• Kesha O’Reilly, Global Director, Medical Affairs HIV Franchise, Gilead Sciences
• Katie Baca-Motes, CEO GSD, Health Research
• Catherine Monk, Founding Director, Center for the Transition to Parenthood
• Mitzi Krockover, CEO & Founder, WomanCentered

Further announcements, including speaker confirmations and agenda highlights, will be released in the coming months.

Because we believe in healthcare equity, attendance is free for any medical officers and leaders within hospitals and healthcare systems, pharma, biotech, corporate enterprises and government officials.

After years of fragmented systems, slow insurance claims, and disconnected patient data, Thailand’s healthcare and insurance industries are entering a new phase of digital transformation. InterSystems, a global provider of data technology that delivers a unified foundation for next-generation applications across healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and supply chain industries in more than 80 countries, has announced a strategic partnership with DataOne Asia (Thailand), a leading ICT service provider serving the banking, insurance, healthcare, and telecommunications sectors.

DataOne and InterSystems will build a high-performance, AI-ready data bridge that connects hospitals and insurance companies, enabling automated e-claims, seamless data interoperability, and the foundational digital infrastructure required for next-generation healthcare.

The partnership was formed to address the significant data connectivity gap between Thailand’s healthcare and insurance sectors, a long-standing structural challenge that became especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. By combining DataOne’s deep expertise and trusted relationships in the BFSI and insurance industries with globally trusted InterSystems healthcare technologies, the collaboration supports the digital foundation for more efficient payment, settlement, and claims workflows across the healthcare ecosystem.

“This partnership is a strategic alliance designed to bridge the significant data gap between Thailand’s healthcare and insurance sectors,” said Pilada Intanate, Chief Operating Officer of DataOne Asia. “Our immediate goal is to enable efficient, automated e-claims processing, while our long-term goal is to build the foundational data infrastructure for a better healthcare system that is ready to support advanced AI and analytics.”

The InterSystems TrakCare® and InterSystems IntelliCare™ healthcare information systems (HIS) provide unified electronic health records (EHR) systems at leading private hospitals in Thailand. Both TrakCare and IntelliCare are built on InterSystems IRIS for Health™, the high-performance data management and interoperability platform that enables large-scale system integration. Globally, over one billion health records are managed by InterSystems technology.
Under this partnership, DataOne is implementing InterSystems IRIS for Health as an open integration hub, providing a shared data repository and interoperability layer that securely connects both InterSystems and non-InterSystems hospital information systems to insurers’ core platforms, enabling secure end-to-end data connectivity to support automated e-claims and insurance workflows across the broader healthcare ecosystem.

Solving Structural Industry Challenges

Thailand’s healthcare-insurance ecosystem has long been constrained by data silos between providers and payers, resulting in slow and manual claims processes, fragmented data, and limited readiness for AI and advanced analytics. This partnership directly addresses those challenges by establishing standardized, interoperable data pipelines across the healthcare and insurance sectors.

The partnership delivers concrete value to all stakeholders. Insurance companies benefit from reduced administrative overhead, enhanced risk and anomaly detection capabilities, and improved underwriting data through automated e-claims. Healthcare providers experience faster reimbursement cycles, reduced staff workload, and improved data-sharing capabilities. Patients benefit from faster pre-authorizations, quicker claims settlements, and significantly reduced paperwork. At the market level, it supports a robust data foundation for future healthcare innovation in Thailand, helping make AI-driven healthcare practical and scalable.

InterSystems’ Regional Health Data & Interoperability Strategy
For InterSystems, the partnership aligns with its broader Asia-Pacific strategy to strengthen healthcare data management, interoperability, and large-scale digital health infrastructure. Beyond EMR systems such as TrakCare and IntelliCare, InterSystems provides enterprise,regional, and national health information exchange and data repository capabilities that enable hospitals and other healthcare organisations to support secondary use of health data, including insurance connectivity, clinical research, health logistics, and population-level analytics. Through this partnership, InterSystems is extending its impact beyond hospital systems into the insurance and financial ecosystem, strengthening digital connectivity across the healthcare and insurance value chain.

Luciano Brustia, Regional Managing Director for the Asia Pacific at InterSystems, said: “Across Asia Pacific, healthcare transformation depends on trusted data infrastructure that supports interoperability and management at scale. Through this partnership with DataOne, we are enabling Thailand’s hospitals and insurers to securely exchange data and build a foundation that supports automated claims today, scalable AI, and advanced analytics in the future.”
Looking ahead, the joint solution is designed to enable large-scale expansion and support future healthcare innovation, predictive analytics, and AI-driven care and insurance workflows. The partnership accelerates Thailand’s transition toward a fully connected, data-ready healthcare ecosystem – strengthening reimbursement efficiency, patient experience, and long-term healthcare system resilience.

InterSystems, a creative data technology provider powering more than one billion health records globally, today announced it has received four Global 2026 Best in KLAS awards. The company earned a #1 ranking for Acute Care EHR in Asia, Oceania, and France, as well as for Shared Care Records in Europe.

Best in KLAS is KLAS Research’s annual recognition of top-performing healthcare technology and services solutions, based entirely on feedback from healthcare provider organizations. Awards are given within defined software and services market segments evaluated by KLAS Research using a standardized methodology that reflects customer experience and performance. In addition to U.S. market segments, KLAS also recognizes top-performing solutions through its Global (Non-U.S.) Best in KLAS Awards, which are based on feedback from healthcare organizations outside the United States and evaluated using the same research framework.

InterSystems was honored with four 2026 Global Best in KLAS awards:

• InterSystems TrakCare® received three separate Best in KLAS designations for Acute Care EHR in France, Asia, and Oceania, a rating that reflects strong feedback from healthcare organizations within each of these markets.
• Shared Care Records (Europe): InterSystems HealthShare® was recognized as Best in KLAS for Shared Care Records in Europe for the third consecutive year, following prior wins in 2024 and 2025, based on feedback from healthcare organizations across the region.

“At InterSystems, our mission has always been to build solutions as a joint effort with real end users on their real problems and opportunities in their world. Receiving four Best in KLAS awards is incredibly validating because these honors aren’t decided by a panel of judges—they come directly from the feedback of the clinicians and healthcare leaders who use our technology every day,” said Don Woodlock, President of InterSystems. “These awards are a testament to our customers’ partnership and our team’s dedication to technical excellence and customer success.”

“The Best in KLAS awards recognize the vendors who consistently deliver excellence through partnership with healthcare organizations. Winning this award means customers trust you to help them succeed in our rapidly changing healthcare landscape. This means helping them to improve patient care, achieve better outcomes, and find true ROI. We’re honored to amplify the voice of providers and payers at KLAS, and to celebrate those vendors who turn feedback into action,” said Adam Gale, CEO, KLAS Research.

The complete 2026 Best in KLAS Awards: Global Software Report can be found here.

InterSystems, a creative data technology provider powering more than 1 billion health records worldwide, today announced the launch of InterSystems Payer Connector, a new product offering designed to help health plans rapidly and reliably integrate Epic Payer Platform with their broader application ecosystem.

Epic Payer Platform creates strong provider-workflow connections to health plans through information exchange; impact comes when those exchanges reliably drive health plan decisions inside core applications.

InterSystems Payer Connector complements Epic Payer Platform with a governed hub that transforms and routes data to and from core health plan systems – accelerating high-value use cases, reducing custom integration work, and ensuring reliable data streaming into workflows.

Using a set of prebuilt Epic-aware schemas and orchestrations, InterSystems Payer Connector connects Epic Payer Platform to a health plan’s internal systems to retrieve and process data and transform it for downstream use across care management, utilization management, claims, and quality programs. This bidirectional approach helps health plans eliminate custom integration work, accelerate Epic Payer Platform investment returns, and improve clinical, operational, and business performance.

InterSystems Payer Connector enables key health plan workflows within the Epic Payer Platform, including:

• Loading health plan member enrollment rosters to support the receipt of clinical data for active members.
• Routing ADT notifications from the Epic Payer Platform to health plan systems to support care management and utilization management workflows.
• Retrieving CCDA and clinical and analytics summary documents from the Epic Payer Platform and delivering them to health plan systems.
• Pushing claims data and coding gaps into the Epic Health Plan Clinical Summary.

“With health plan adoption of Epic Payer Platform continuing to grow, InterSystems Payer Connector fills a critical gap in this ecosystem,” said Don Woodlock, President of InterSystems. “By enabling data to flow seamlessly to and from health plan systems, this solution helps organizations act on information faster, improving the member experience and reducing gaps in care.”

For more information, visit www.InterSystems.com/PayerConnector.

“During my address at Global Summit 2023, I spoke about how strong, stable cultures are resilient and how culture is the strongest indicator of future success,” said Ragon. “I believe the culture we have built at InterSystems is truly self-sustaining, and it is time for the next generation to be the stewards of what we have all worked so hard to achieve.”

Woodlock has been with InterSystems for 8 years as Vice President for Healthcare. He brings deep industry expertise, technical acumen, and a shared commitment to InterSystems customer-first culture.

“Terry has been a role model and mentor to me since I joined InterSystems in 2017,” said Woodlock. “My experience with the company began decades earlier when I used its products, first in technical roles and later as the leader of a business unit delivering healthcare solutions. This real-world customer experience, combined with InterSystems technology, financial and organizational strengths, fuel my passion for helping to lead the company into its next era of success.”

The RENOLIT Group is setting the course for the future: the RENOLIT Healthcare market unit will be spun off from RENOLIT SE and gradually established as an independent company from 2026 onwards. With this strategic decision, RENOLIT is giving both divisions the opportunity to develop in a targeted manner. In future, RENOLIT SE will concentrate on its core industrial businesses, while RENOLIT Healthcare will focus entirely on the healthcare industry. Due to differences in markets, technologies and regulations, this specialisation is a logical step.

‘This decision provides clarity and focus,’ explains Karsten Jänicke, Chief Executive Officer of RENOLIT. ‘RENOLIT SE can continue to develop its core industrial markets in a targeted manner, while RENOLIT Healthcare positions itself as a specialist partner for the healthcare industry. This creates double growth potential.’

Andreas Lang, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and co-owner of RENOLIT, adds: ‘RENOLIT Healthcare is ready to go its own way. One thing is particularly important to us: as owners, we stand for continuity and stability. RENOLIT Healthcare will therefore remain part of the RENOLIT family, with all the values and culture that characterise us as a family-owned business.’

Gradual carve-out by the end of 2027

The transition will take place in two phases. In 2026, the so-called virtual carve-out will begin, in which RENOLIT Healthcare will be managed independently in operational terms but will remain part of RENOLIT SE in legal terms. At the end of 2027, the legal spin-off into the new company RENOLIT Healthcare B.V., headquartered in the Netherlands, will follow.

Until then, all decisions regarding the market units will remain within the remit of the current four-member Executive Board.

‘This is an extraordinary step,’ says Thomas Sampers, Executive Board Member of RENOLIT SE and designated Chief Executive Officer of RENOLIT Healthcare. ‘A family-owned business is investing in the future by giving a successful business division the freedom to operate independently. We are ready to go our own way – together with our customers, partners and employees.’

RENOLIT Healthcare is a leading provider of polymer solutions for applications in the healthcare industry. Among other things, the market unit produces materials for infusion, transfusion and dialysis systems as well as biotechnological applications. Under the motto ‘Together Towards Health’, RENOLIT Healthcare works with customers worldwide on innovations for a healthy future.

The system, which has received the CE approval, is at present available across the select nations in the region.

Notably, it is designed as a pre-mixed, sterile irrigation solution in order to assist with the eradication of debris as well as foreign material due to surgical wounds.

It is well to be noted that the solution is intended for application across the procedures, cutting the need for preparation by the hospital staff.

It claims to have in it a trusted antiseptic as a preservative in order to aid in reducing the bacterial load, which is always linked to the risk of certain surgical site infections.

Moreover, the BD Surgiphor also comes with an easy-to-handle design, which enables quick as well as seamless application by surgical teams.

Rian Seger, the BD Surgery worldwide president, said that this European launch goes on to mark quite a prominent landmark when it comes to advancing surgical care.

He adds that the surgical site infections are indeed multifactorial and also continue to present quite major issues to both patient outcomes as well as healthcare systems. Surgiphor goes on to support clinicians in executing the evidence-based practices like surgical wound irrigation in order to help decrease the risk, elevate the recovery, and also upgrade the overall surgical safety.

As per BD, this launch goes on to demonstrate the ongoing focus of the company on progressing surgical care by way of practical solutions, which often prioritize patient safety.

It was in August 2025 that the company had announced an investment of more than $35m to expand the manufacturing capacity of BD PosiFlush prefilled flush syringes at the Columbus facility in Nebraska, US.

This expansion is anticipated to create 50 new jobs and also increase the production so as to meet the growing demand coming from US health systems as well as hospitals.

Recently, BD went on to obtain 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration as well as CE marking as per the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation of the European Union for its bacterial panels when it comes to the usage on the BD COR System.

Philips, which is the Dutch imaging giant, remarked that Image Management 15, which is an updated version of the Philips Vue PACS platform, is designed so as to facilitate the radiology capabilities by way of a desktop workstation through a standard web browser.

As per Philips, the new viewer is going to help the radiologists to streamline the workflows, enhance the collaboration between teams, and, at the same time, reduce IT intricacy throughout their enterprise.

By way of natively connecting along with the interactive reporting module, the web browser goes on to manage the reporting in the picture archiving and communication system – PACS workflows of the users. Philips said that the capability cuts the requirement when it comes to separate dictation or reporting systems, thereby offering the radiologists a means so as to review the images and generate reports without leaving the reading application.

The Image Management 15 can also interface along with any imaging centers connected to AI-based imaging tools, hence consolidating all the relevant imaging insights in one place, added Philips.

The imaging informatics business leader at Philips, Madhuri Sebastian, opined that the web diagnostic viewer by Phillips is indeed a milestone in their journey towards cloud-enabled as well as AI-integrated diagnostic imaging.

She added that it for sure brings the power of advanced visualization and collaboration as well as intelligence to any kind of browser, therefore helping the radiologists to stay connected and productive wherever the care takes place while at the same time streamlining the IT operations.

It is well to be noted that diagnostic imaging is indeed one of the fastest advancing areas within the healthcare space. As per a GlobalData analysis, the global diagnostic imaging market is rising at a CAGR of 4.4% and is anticipated to reach a valuation of almost $81.4bn by 2034, which is up from the $52.8bn that was recorded in 2024.

The imaging rival of Philips, GE HealthCare, also has remote image viewing provisions on its mind. The company has recently inked a $2.3bn contract to acquire Intelerad, the Canadian imaging software provider. This move aligns with the stated aim of GE HealthCare so as to prominently increase its range when it comes to cloud-enabled products by 2028.

In addition to the advances that have been made in the imaging software and management platforms such as this web diagnostic viewer by Phillips, AI is consistently having an appreciable impact when it comes to medical imaging, especially within the advancing radiology workflows. In 2024, big tech players like NVIDIA as well as Microsoft entered partnerships along with academic institutions in order to test and develop generative AI – genAI foundation models when it comes to radiology.

A technology in order to efficiently analyze a large number of unstructured datasets – GenAI, has massive potential in the radiology space. Protocols have in them the ability to elevate the radiological image quality, conduct diagnoses that are on par with the radiologist, and also assist with the imaging report summaries.

When it comes to radiology, such sort of assistance is of critical significance, given that research has already indicated that there is quite a prominent shortfall in radiologists. One of the 2024 reports from the Association of American Medical Colleges – AAMC forecasts that the radiologist shortfall within the US could well hit a figure of 42,000 by 2036.