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AI Medical Service Inc (AIM), a Japan-based medical startup specialising in the development of diagnostic endoscopic AI, has received medical device approval from the Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA).
The approval is for its endoscopic image diagnosis support software, the "gastroAI-model G." This system utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to assist physicians in differentiating between neoplastic and non-neoplastic gastric lesions within endoscopic images.
This marks the first time in Thailand that an AI-powered diagnostic support system for the upper gastrointestinal tract, equipped with lesion differentiation capabilities, has received regulatory approval.
In Thailand, the high mortality rate for gastric cancer (approximately 75% of diagnosed individuals die from the disease) suggests that many cases are detected at an advanced stage. This healthcare challenge is compounded by significant demographic trends; as a member of the Global South, Thailand is experiencing economic growth and a rising life expectancy.
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world, with more than 1 million people contracting gastric cancer and approximately 600,000 people dying from the disease each year. Gastric cancer is characterised by a mortality rate that increases significantly with disease progression.
