Asahi Kasei Medical

Asahi Kasei Medical is the medical-device business company of Japan’s Asahi Kasei Group. Its roots date to July 1974, when Asahi Medical was established as a specialist company manufacturing and selling medical equipment, beginning with an artificial kidney that used a hollow fiber made from Bemberg (cuprammonium rayon) as its dialysis membrane. The company began full-scale sales of artificial kidneys the following year and established a major factory in Oita, Japan. The company’s business has developed around extracorporeal blood-treatment technologies. Its current website describes three principal areas: blood purification, intensive care and autologous-blood-related products. The blood-purification portfolio includes dialysis and apheresis technologies and products such as dialyzers, plasma-separation and plasma-purification devices, and adsorbers. Its history also records products for applications including ascites treatment, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The company presents its intensive-care business as providing solutions to complex critical-care challenges, and its autologous-blood area as supporting autologous transfusion. These offerings are directed to healthcare professionals, while the website also provides treatment and disease information for patients and families. Asahi Kasei Medical has developed production and business locations beyond Japan. The supplied company information lists operations and offices in Japan, Europe and Asia, including a European company in Germany and a medical-device manufacturing company in Hangzhou, China. Its stated approach to its global locations emphasizes production management adapted to local and regional needs and stable supply. In 2004, the company changed its name from Asahi Medical to Asahi Kasei Medical. It has since remained part of the Asahi Kasei Group. A major business-scope change took effect on April 1, 2025: Asahi Kasei Medical began operating as a company dedicated to the medical-device business, while its bioprocess business was transferred to Asahi Kasei Life Science. The company’s website also announces a planned name change to MILIFE CARE in April 2027 and provides a notice about a company-name change and headquarters relocation dated June 26, 2026. Those announcements describe future changes relative to the 2025 business transition; they do not establish that the later changes have already taken effect.

Asahi Kasei Medical traces its origins to Asahi Medical Co., Ltd., established in July 1974 as a specialist medical-device company. Its initial focus was an artificial kidney developed around the company’s own Bemberg (cuprammonium rayon) hollow-fiber dialysis membrane. Full-scale artificial-kidney sales began in 1975, the same year a large Oita factory was established. Early expansion brought new blood-treatment technologies and products: the company developed an ascites filtration and reinfusion system in 1977, began manufacturing and selling the Hemasorba adsorber in 1979, and introduced plasma-separation and plasma-purification products in the early 1980s. During the 1980s and 1990s, the portfolio broadened across blood filtration, plasma-component separation, selective plasma-component adsorption and continuous hemofiltration. The company opened a development laboratory in Oita in 1986 and a machinery development center in Fuji in 1992. In 1994 it established an APS spinning plant in Nobeoka and received ISO 9001 and CE-marking certification, according to its corporate history. In 1995, it began full-scale sales of APS-series polysulfone hollow-fiber dialyzers. Further product and organizational developments followed. In 1997, the company introduced AM-BCF-series dialyzers using its Biorex biocompatible membrane. In 2001, it began selling Cellsorba E, an adsorptive blood-purification device for ulcerative colitis. In 2002 it acquired Terumo’s artificial-kidney business. In 2003 it established a medical-device company in Hangzhou, China, and in 2004 launched Cellsorba CS for rheumatoid arthritis. That year, Asahi Medical changed its name to Asahi Kasei Medical and established Asahi Kasei Medical America Inc. in Chicago. The company continued to develop its manufacturing and international presence in the 2000s. Its history records new production facilities in Nobeoka and Hangzhou, an apheresis technology center in Tokyo, and a Korean trading company. It also notes an agreement with Nexstage Medical in the United States and the acquisition of M.E. Tech in 2009. The supplied history excerpt ends during its subsequent chronology, so later milestones are not inferred here. A significant recent change was announced on the company’s current website: from April 1, 2025, Asahi Kasei Medical began operating as a company devoted to medical-device business, while the bioprocess business transferred to Asahi Kasei Life Science. The site describes its current areas as blood purification, intensive care and autologous-blood-related business, and lists locations in Japan, Europe and Asia. It also announces a planned change to the name MILIFE CARE in April 2027; this is presented as a future change, not a completed renaming.

• 2025

  Began operating as a medical-device-focused company; the bioprocess business transferred to Asahi Kasei Life Science on April 1.

• 2009

  Entered a business partnership with Nexstage Medical in the United States and made M.E. Tech a subsidiary.

• 2008

  Established an EVOH hollow-fiber spinning plant in Nobeoka and a Korean medical trading company.

• 2007

  Opened the Apheresis Technology Square in Tokyo.

• 2004

  Introduced Cellsorba CS, changed its name from Asahi Medical to Asahi Kasei Medical, and established Asahi Kasei Medical America Inc.

• 2003

  Established a medical-device company in Hangzhou, China.

• 2002

  Acquired Terumo’s artificial-kidney business.

• 2001

  Began selling Cellsorba E for ulcerative-colitis treatment.

• 1997

  Introduced AM-BCF-series dialyzers using the Biorex membrane.

• 1995

  Began full-scale sales of APS-series polysulfone hollow-fiber dialyzers.

• 1994

  Established an APS spinning plant in Nobeoka and received ISO 9001 and CE-marking certification.

• 1992

  Opened a machinery development center in Fuji.

• 1990

  Began selling the Panflow continuous hemofiltration filter.

• 1989

  Began selling the Imusorba TR selective plasma-component adsorber for blood exchange.

• 1988

  Began selling the selective plasma-component adsorber Plasorba.

• 1986

  Introduced the Immunosorba PH adsorber and opened an Oita development laboratory.

• 1984

  Introduced the Cascade Flow plasma-component separator and began selling the Plasauto plasma-purification device.

• 1983

  Began manufacturing and selling the PNF hemofilter.

• 1981

  Introduced a membrane plasma separator and disposable plasma-purification set; established Asahi Medical GmbH in Frankfurt.

• 1979

  Began manufacturing and selling the Hemasorba adsorber.

• 1977

  Developed an ascites filtration and reinfusion system.

• 1975

  Full-scale artificial-kidney sales began and a major Oita factory was established.

• 1974

  Asahi Medical Co., Ltd. established as a specialist medical-device company.

• Planned transition to the MILIFE CARE name, announced for April.

A specialist medical-device company applying blood-purification and related treatment technologies to clinical care, with business areas spanning blood purification, intensive care and autologous blood.

• APS series polysulfone hollow-fiber dialyzers

• Cellsorba E

• Cellsorba CS

• Ascites filtration and reinfusion system

• Asahi PS dialyzers APS-MA NX and APS-UA NX

1. 1旭化成メディカル株式会社asahi-kasei.co.jp
2. 2沿革 | 旭化成メディカル株式会社asahi-kasei.co.jp
3. 3会社案内 | 旭化成メディカル株式会社asahi-kasei.co.jp
4. 4事業拠点 | 旭化成メディカル株式会社asahi-kasei.co.jp
5. 5ASAHI KASEI MEDICAL CO., LTD.wikidata.org