4DMedical (ASX:4DX) has become one of the most talked-about Australian small-cap healthcare names of late 2025—despite a bruising year for the broader sector. On 18 December 2025, fresh market coverage put the spotlight back on the stock’s extraordinary run and the commercial milestones behind it, as investors weighed a familiar question for fast-rising growth stories: is this the start of something bigger, or has the market moved too far, too fast? [1]
The key news on 18 December 2025: a “small-cap sensation” goes mainstream
The day’s most widely shared piece of coverage came from Livewire Markets, which framed 4DMedical as a rare healthcare outlier in 2025. The article noted that while much of the Australian healthcare complex has struggled, 4DMedical had “quietly bucked the trend,” rising more than 500% over the year and surging more than 1,000% in the second half of 2025, placing it in “ten bagger” territory. [2]
Livewire also underscored the stock’s volatility over its listed life: after the company’s 2020 IPO, shares had previously fallen from $2.38 to as low as $0.24, before the recent rebound powered by multiple regulatory and commercial wins. [3]
ASX filings on 18 December 2025: routine, but closely watched during a big run
Alongside market commentary, 4DMedical also posted ASX documentation on 18 December 2025 that investors often scrutinise during sharp price moves:
- An “Application for quotation of securities – 4DX” filing (published 18/12/25, 3:20pm AEDT). [4]
- A “Change of Director’s Interest Notice” covering multiple directors (published 18/12/25, 3:45pm AEDT). [5]
These types of notices are frequently administrative (for example, relating to equity incentives or securities issuance mechanics), but during momentum runs they can attract outsized attention because they touch supply/demand dynamics and insider holdings.
Why 4DMedical is rallying: CT:VQ moves from “breakthrough tech” to commercial execution
At the centre of the 4DMedical narrative in late 2025 is CT:VQ™, its non-contrast ventilation–perfusion imaging software.
In its earlier regulatory communications, 4DMedical described CT:VQ as the world’s first and only non-contrast, CT-based ventilation–perfusion imaging technology, designed to generate ventilation and perfusion maps without radiotracers or contrast agents by extracting functional information from routine CT imaging. [6]
The company has also argued the commercial opportunity is substantial, pointing to over one million nuclear V/Q scans performed annually in the U.S. and describing an initial addressable market of roughly US$1.1 billion (based on its cited assumptions). [7]
The market is now less focused on whether CT:VQ is “real” and more focused on the harder question: how quickly can this translate into installed sites, recurring scan volume, and meaningful revenue? [8]
The December 2025 catalyst stack that set up the 18 December spotlight
Livewire’s 18 December piece laid out a clear timeline of catalysts that helped explain why investors were re-rating the stock. [9]
1) Pro Medicus investment
Livewire highlighted a $10 million strategic investment from Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) announced in late July, framing it as both validation from an established imaging software leader and a potential accelerator for commercial pathways. [10]
2) FDA clearance for CT:VQ
The same Livewire piece pointed to U.S. regulatory clearance in September as a pivotal unlock for the company’s flagship product and U.S. market ambitions. [11]
3) Philips distribution deal (North America)
Livewire reported that in early December, Philips would add CT:VQ to its North American range and that the arrangement included a minimum contractual commitment of US$10 million over two years, plus a dedicated sales effort. [12]
A separate 4DMedical ASX announcement (15 December) further described Philips’ North American scope, stating that an agreement announced on 3 December 2025 included distribution rights for CT:VQ across the United States and Canada, with Philips committing dedicated sales and clinical specialists carrying sales targets. [13]
4) Health Canada approval (CT:VQ)
On 15 December 2025, 4DMedical announced Canadian regulatory approval for CT:VQ, describing it as a Class 2 Medical Device approval and positioning it as an immediate commercial deployment opportunity through the Philips channel. [14]
The company’s statement also put numbers around the opportunity, citing Canada’s population (over 40 million) and approximately 560 CT scanners, as well as a potential annual procedure pool derived from broader CT volumes and respiratory imaging share. [15]
What investors were debating on 18 December: breakout growth story or overheated momentum?
The Livewire analysis on 18 December didn’t present 4DMedical as a “finished” story; it presented it as a high-upside company with financial realities that still matter.
It published a snapshot of key metrics that framed the valuation debate:
- FY25 total revenue: $5.9m
- FY25 EBIT: -$38.1m
- FY25 reported NPAT: -$30.1m
- FY26e total revenue: $11m (with 88% growth cited)
- FY26e EBIT: -$27.2m
- FY26e reported NPAT: -$20.8m [16]
In other words, the market was pricing in a significant future, while the business was still (by these figures) in a loss-making build-out phase—making execution the key word for 2026. [17]
Livewire also noted broker commentary flagging risks such as historically modest revenue and lack of profitability, reliance on third parties, remaining regulatory hurdles for other products, and the possibility of competing technologies. [18]
The next-day jolt: “big US news” and the Cleveland Clinic headline
Although your brief centres on 18 December, the story moved fast immediately after.
On 19 December 2025, the Australian Financial Review’s market coverage referenced the development that Cleveland Clinic had adopted 4DMedical’s CT:VQ, describing it as a commercial agreement—an important signal because major academic medical centres can become reference sites that influence broader clinical adoption. [19]
TipRanks also reported that 4DMedical had signed a commercial agreement with Cleveland Clinic tied to CT:VQ, reinforcing the same core point: another high-profile U.S. institution had moved into the customer column. [20]
Meanwhile, Motley Fool Australia’s headlines framed the market reaction in dramatic terms, describing 4DMedical as “up 657% in a year” and “rocketing another 20%” on U.S.-driven news flow. [21]
A note on the “patents” angle circulating in market chatter
In the days around the 18 December coverage, some online market commentary also leaned heavily on 4DMedical’s intellectual property positioning—particularly around the idea that unique imaging patents create a defensible moat for its software-driven approach. [22]
For investors, the practical takeaway is that IP matters most when it supports commercial adoption—and the late-2025 sequence of regulatory wins, distribution, and flagship U.S. sites is what the market appears to be rewarding.
What to watch next: the 2026 questions that will likely decide the next leg
By 18 December, Livewire’s framing had effectively set the scoreboard for what comes next: CT:VQ sales execution. [23]
Here are the developments most likely to shape the 4DMedical narrative in early 2026:
1) Evidence of repeatable U.S. rollout (beyond headline sites)
High-profile academic centres can validate the product clinically, but the bigger commercial prize is scaling adoption across health systems and imaging networks. Investors will be watching for signs that CT:VQ becomes part of routine workflows at more sites, not just elite early adopters. [24]
2) Philips conversion: from “agreement” to throughput
Distribution partnerships are only as strong as their field execution. With Philips positioned as a channel partner across North America, the market will likely look for measurable traction: installs, scan volumes, and contracted commitments translating into revenue. [25]
3) Revenue growth versus cash burn
The metrics cited on 18 December show the business is still loss-making under the figures discussed, even while growth expectations rise. The next phase will likely be judged on whether revenue growth and gross margin expansion begin to close the gap to profitability over time. [26]
4) Regulatory and reimbursement tailwinds
4DMedical’s regulatory wins (FDA and Health Canada approvals cited in its announcements) reduce one category of risk—yet reimbursement dynamics and clinical adoption cycles can still take time. Investors will be watching for updates that reduce friction for hospitals and imaging providers considering the product. [27]
Bottom line
On 18 December 2025, 4DMedical’s story crystallised into a mainstream market narrative: a battered-sector outlier that had become a momentum leader, powered by regulatory progress and an increasingly credible commercial path for CT:VQ. [28]
But as the market debate sharpened that day—balancing huge share price gains against still-modest revenue—events immediately after (including the Cleveland Clinic headline) reinforced why investors are focused on one near-term test: whether 2026 delivers repeatable, scalable adoption rather than one-off wins. [29]
References
1. www.livewiremarkets.com, 2. www.livewiremarkets.com, 3. www.livewiremarkets.com, 4. www.marketindex.com.au, 5. www.marketindex.com.au, 6. announcements.asx.com.au, 7. announcements.asx.com.au, 8. www.livewiremarkets.com, 9. www.livewiremarkets.com, 10. www.livewiremarkets.com, 11. www.livewiremarkets.com, 12. www.livewiremarkets.com, 13. announcements.asx.com.au, 14. announcements.asx.com.au, 15. announcements.asx.com.au, 16. www.livewiremarkets.com, 17. www.livewiremarkets.com, 18. www.livewiremarkets.com, 19. www.afr.com, 20. www.tipranks.com, 21. www.fool.com.au, 22. meyka.com, 23. www.livewiremarkets.com, 24. www.livewiremarkets.com, 25. announcements.asx.com.au, 26. www.livewiremarkets.com, 27. announcements.asx.com.au, 28. www.livewiremarkets.com, 29. www.afr.com
