http://medmarket.posterous.com advanced medical technologies posterous.com Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:44:40 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/AOv2k9lseqo/heart-experts-make-boosting-bystander-cpr-tue http://medmarket.posterous.com/heart-experts-make-boosting-bystander-cpr-tue <p> <a href="http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Heart-Experts-Make-Boosting-Bystander-CPR-a-Priority-88449-1/">http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Heart-Experts-Make-Boosting-Bystander-CPR-a-Priority-88449-1/</a><p /><div><div>People who suffer sudden cardiac arrest are more likely to survive if 911 and EMS dispatchers help bystanders assess victims and begin CPR immediately, says a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association.</div> <p /><div>One of its main goals is to increase how often bystanders perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).</div><p /><div>&quot;I think it&#39;s a call to arms,&quot; statement lead author E. Brooke Lerner, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, said in an AHA news release. &quot;It isn&#39;t as common as you think, that you call 911 and they tell you what to do.&quot;</div> <p /><div>The statement includes four recommendations:</div><div><ul><li>Dispatchers should assess whether someone has had a cardiac arrest and if so, tell callers how to administer CPR immediately.</li><li>Dispatchers should confidently give hands-only CPR instructions for adults who have had a cardiac arrest not caused by asphyxia (as in drowning).</li> <li>Communities should measure performance of dispatchers and local EMS agencies, including how long it takes until CPR is begun.</li><li>Performance measurements should be part of a quality assurance program involving the entire emergency response system including EMS and hospitals.</li> </ul></div><div>The statement, released Jan. 9, was published simultaneously in the journal Circulation.</div><p /><div>Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when a problem arises with electrical impulses in the heart, causing it to stop beating normally. The survival rate for people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital is only 11 percent.</div> <p /><div>Each year in the United States, more than 380,000 people are assessed by EMS for sudden cardiac arrest.</div></div> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/heart-experts-make-boosting-bystander-cpr-tue">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/heart-experts-make-boosting-bystander-cpr-tue#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/AOv2k9lseqo" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/heart-experts-make-boosting-bystander-cpr-tue Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:40:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/zQ_fLEbvCjQ/arena-and-qnexa-get-good-news http://medmarket.posterous.com/arena-and-qnexa-get-good-news <p> <div>In a continued trend in which the FDA seems to be working toward rapprochement with the previously beleaguered obesity drug industry, this week the agency has in one case asked Qnexa manufacturer Vivus on Monday to remove the contraindication for use of the drug in women of child-bearing potential (although keep in place the contraindication for women actually pregnant), a move that increases the potential obesity drug patient population and the aura of "safety" surrounding Qnexa.&nbsp;</div> <p /> <blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"> <div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/09/us-vivus-idUSTRE8081LI20120109">http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/09/us-vivus-idUSTRE8081LI20120109</a></div> </blockquote> <p /> <div>In another case, the FDA notified Arena Pharmaceuticals that it has accepted the resubmitted drug application for the company's obesity drug, Lorcaserin.</div> <p /> <blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120110-706510.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120110-706510.html</a></blockquote> <p /> <div>Needless to say, both Vivus' and Arena's stock price took sharp jumps on the news.</div> <div><br /> <div>The aggregate worldwide market for obesity drugs could reach $1.8 billion by 2019 if drug approvals happen as forecast for these and other obesity drugs. (See "<a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s835.htm">Products, Technologies and Markets Worldwide for the Clinical Management of Obesity, 2011-2019</a>".</div> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/arena-and-qnexa-get-good-news">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/arena-and-qnexa-get-good-news#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/zQ_fLEbvCjQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/arena-and-qnexa-get-good-news Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:37:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/SSV5C6hacsU/regulation-of-wound-management-products http://medmarket.posterous.com/regulation-of-wound-management-products <p> <p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>The passage below is from the MedMarket Diligence <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s247.htm" title="Wound Management Worldwide to 2017">Report #S247</a>, "Worldwide Wound Management, 2008-2017:&nbsp;Established and Emerging Products, Technologies and Markets in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Rest of World."</em></span></p> <div>A wide range of regulatory approval conditions is applied to wound management products. The decision about regulatory classification for a given wound management product lies with the regulatory authority of the country in which the product is to be marketed and the manufacturing site making the product comes within their jurisdiction by virtue of the intent to market the product.</div> <p>In the USA, medical devices fall within one of three categories depending on the complexity of the product and the invasiveness of its application. Fabric dressings are simple and minimally invasive, and to are designated as Class I devices, whereas products containing biomaterials of human or animal origin are in Class III. Some products that may be considered as examples of &ldquo;Advanced Wound Care&rdquo; (AWC, an abbreviation that is used widely in this report, and is synonymous with &ldquo;advanced wound management&rdquo;) are classified as Class II.</p> <p>Medical devices require an investigational device exemption for clinical evaluation in humans; they are regulated through and receive 510(k) approval through a pre-market approval scheme regulated by the FDA in the USA, and are approved through the CE Marking process which was introduced in the early 1990s in Europe.&nbsp;</p> <p>Class I devices in Europe require development and manufacture to be performed under international standard quality control systems, and device dossiers to be managed by the manufacturing company. Class II devices require the dossiers to be submitted for review, and Class III devices require a more substantial device dossier to be compiled and submitted for review with more rigorous toxicological and clinical evaluation. In Europe, devices which incorporate biological materials derived from animals are classed automatically as Class III devices.</p> <p>In the USA, pharmacological developments (with a pharmacologically active therapeutic benefit) automatically require an investigational new drug (IND) application. Biologic materials are reviewed for a biologics license application (BLA) through an IND by the CBER division of the FDA (CBER stands for Center for Biologic Evaluation and Research).</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Wound-segments-2008-2017" height="630" src="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-12-09/wehpFEzdAumpChafHwmwuoddpGhjAzaGdIlgqEFtzqAjgvhjeIFaayBvrqAE/wound-segments-2008-2017.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="340" /> </div> General wound care products generally fall within the Class I or Class II device categories around the world; any products containing mammalian proteins are Class III devices. The route for approval of more sophisticated products, like those designed to deliver an active therapeutic endpoint, such as pharmaceuticals and tissue engineering products, is more complex and less consistent in different regions around the world.</p> <p>A wide range of regulatory approval conditions are applied to cell-based therapy products. Many of the technical challenges associated with creating a new tissue-engineered product are focused on the clinical proof phase, the regulatory requirements associated with making, proving effectiveness and safety of the product, and a number of controls on product claims and usage. Often the approach to achieving regulatory approval seems to be arduous, inconsistent and arbitrary. This is best illustrated by the complexity of approval for new tissue engineered products that exist today.</p> <p>Autologous products for skin are currently available in the USA and new approaches to offering these cells wrapped up in customized services are becoming prevalent around the world. Allogeneic cell-based products for treatment of burn victims, skin conditions, and chronic wound care are now approved from a small number of suppliers in the USA, and several more on their way around the world.</p> <p><strong>Autologous tissue and cells</strong> transplanted during surgery do not have any regulatory requirements placed upon them by the US FDA. However, the devices used to carry out the surgical procedure are regulated as Class I medical devices. These products are required to be manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices; they are regulated as Devices, and require 510(k)s in the USA. In Europe they are Class I medical devices.</p> <p><strong>Donated cadaveric tissue products</strong> produced to aid surgical construction must be manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) with ATSB or FDA approved manufacturing in the USA, and require Pre-Market Application (PMA) in the USA if extensively processed between removal from donor and transplantation to recipient. These products are classified as Medical Devices. They require extensive infectious disease screening and testing, with procedures which closely control good handling practices. &nbsp;They require pre-market approval as they represent a substantial risk due to risk of spreading infectious agents. These products fall under the Center for Biologic Evaluation and Research (CBER) in the USA, and are classified in Europe as Class III devices requiring a substantial and reviewed device dossier, as they contain biologically derived materials. Minimally manipulated products do not require a PMA. A number of companies such as LifeCell sell products in this category, and a number of other companies are developing products in this area.</p> <p><strong>Tissue engineered implants</strong> represent a broad category of materials from those that are substantially donated allogeneic tissue with cells removed, to those products that are completely biologically based such as follicle and placental cell infusions.</p> <p><strong>Synthetic products</strong> are Class II devices, requiring PMA approval and good manufacturing practices in the USA, and the equivalent CE Mark and Class II approval in Europe.</p> <p><strong>Biologically-derived</strong> products are approved through the mutual recognition process in Europe as biological pharmaceuticals and require PMA approval in the USA, and manufacture to good manufacturing practice standards. These products are regulated by the CBER in the USA as biologics requiring a Biologics License Application.</p> <hr /> <p>See the complete report description, table of contents and list of exhibits at <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s247.htm" title="Worldwide Wound Management Market">link</a>.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/regulation-of-wound-management-products">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/regulation-of-wound-management-products#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/SSV5C6hacsU" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/regulation-of-wound-management-products Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:53:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/rE1lWnovg_A/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy-future-ma http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy-future-ma <p> <p>Cell therapy is defined as a process whereby new cells are introduced into tissue as a method of treating disease; the process may or may not include gene therapy. Forms of cell therapy can include: transplantation of autologous (from the patient) or allogeneic (from a donor) stem cells , transplantation of mature, functional cells, application of modified human cells used to produce a needed substance, xenotransplantation of non-human cells used to produce a needed substance, and transplantation of transdifferentiated cells derived from the patient&rsquo;s differentiated cells.</p> <p>Once considered a segment of biomaterial technologies, tissue engineering has evolved into its own category and now comprises a combination of cells, engineering and suitable biochemical and physiochemical factors to improve or replace biological functions. These include ways to repair or replace human tissue with applications in nearly every medical specialty. Regenerative medicine is often synonymous with tissue engineering but usually focuses on the use of stem cells.&nbsp;</p> <p>Tissue engineering and cell therapy may be considered comprised of bioengineered products that are themselves cells or are actively stimulating cell growth or regeneration. These often comprise a combination of biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical technologies.&nbsp;</p> <p>Researchers have been examining tissue engineering and cell therapy for roughly 30 years. While some products in some specialties (such as wound care) have reached market, many others are still in research and development stages. In recent years, large pharmaceutical and medical device companies have provided funding for smaller biotech companies in the hopes that some of these products and therapies will achieve a highly profitable, commercial status. In addition, some companies have been acquired by larger medical device and pharmaceutical companies looking to bring these technologies under their corporate umbrellas. Many of the remaining smaller companies received millions of privately funded dollars per year in research and development. In many cases it takes at least ten years to bring a product to the point where human clinical trials may be conducted. Because of the large amounts of capital to achieve this, several companies have presented promising technologies only to close their doors and/or sell the technology to a larger company due to lack of funds.</p> <p>The goal of stem cell research is to develop therapies to treat human disease through methods other than medication. Key aspects of this research are to examine basic mechanisms of the cell cycle (including the expression of genes during the formation of embryos) as well as specialization and differentiation into human tissue, how and when the differentiation takes place and how differentiated cells may be coaxed to differentiate into a specific type of cell. In the differentiation process, stem cells are signaled to become a specific, specialized type of cell when internal signals controlled by a cell&rsquo;s genes are interspersed across long strands of DNA and carry coded instructions for all the structures and functions of a cell. In addition, cell differentiation may be caused externally by use of chemicals secreted by other cells, physical contact with neighboring cells and certain molecules in the microenvironment.</p> <p>The end goal of stem cell research is to develop therapies that will allow the repair or reversal of diseases that previously were largely untreatable or incurable.. These therapies include treatment of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer&rsquo;s and Parkinson&rsquo;s, repair or replacement of damaged organs such as the heart or liver, the growth of implants from autologous cells, and even regeneration of lost digits or limbs.</p> <p>In a developing human embryo, a specific layer of cells normally become precursor cells to cells found only in the central nervous system or the digestive system or the skin, depending on the cell layer and the elements of the embryo that direct cell differentiation. Once differentiated, many of these cells can only become one kind of cell. However, researchers have discovered that adult body cells exist that are either stem cells or can be coaxed to become stem cells that have the ability to become virtually any type of human cell, thus paving the way to engineer adult stem cell that can bring about repair or regeneration of tissues or the reversal of previously incurable diseases.</p> <p>Another unique characteristic of stem cells is that they are capable of self-division and self-renewal over long periods of time. Unlike muscle, blood or nerve cells, stem cells can proliferate many times. When exposed to ideal conditions in the laboratory, a relatively small sample of stem cells can eventually yield millions of cells.</p> <p>There are five primary types of stem cells: totipotent early embryonic cells (which can differentiate into any kind of human cell); pluripotent blastocyst embryonic stem cells, which are found in an embryo seven days after fertilization and can become almost any kind of cell in the body; fetal stem cells, which appear after the eighth week of development; multipotent umbilical cord stem cells, which can only differentiate into a limited number of cell types; and unspecialized adult stem cells, which exist in already developed tissue (commonly nerves, blood, skin, bone and muscle) of any person after birth.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Tissue-cell_2010_2018" height="614" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-24/lsoaFFioDyzBiCJgHrbAhisDBpFcnpdoExifgreDcjACnihHoBcGmnqtIwka/Tissue-Cell_2010_2018.png.scaled500.png" width="380" /> </div> </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC; <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s520.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #S520</a>, "Tissue Engineering &amp; Cell Therapy Worldwide 2009-2018."</p> <p><strong>Developmental Timescales</strong></p> <p>Tissue engineering and cellular therapy products take years of research and many millions of dollars (averaging about $300 million, according to some reports) before they make it over the hurdles of clinical trials and into actual market launch. More than one small biotech company has burned through its money too quickly and been unable to attract enough investment to keep the doors open. The large pharmaceutical and medical device companies are watching development carefully, and have frequently made deals or entered into alliances with the biotechs, but they have learned to be cautious about footing the bill for development of a product that, in the end, may never sell.&nbsp;</p> <p>For many of the products in development, product launch is likely to occur within five years. Exceptions include skin and certain bone and cartilage products, which are already on the market. Other products are likely to appear on the European market before launch in the United States, due to the presence of (so far) less stringent product review and approval laws in the European Union.&nbsp;</p> <p>Even when the products are launched, take-up will be far from 100% of all patients with that particular condition. Initially, tissue engineering and cell therapy products will go to patients suffering from cancers and other life-threatening conditions, who, for example, are unable to wait any longer for a donor organ. Patients who seem to be near the end of their natural lives likely will not receive these treatments. Insurance coverage will certainly play a key role as well in the decision about who receives which treatments and when. But most importantly, physicians will be selecting who among their patients will be treated; the physicians learn about the treatments by using them, by observing the patient&rsquo;s reactions, and by discussing their experiences with colleagues. In other words, the application of tissue engineering and cellular therapy will progress in a manner similar to the introduction of any new technology: through generally conservative usage by skilled, highly trained physicians dedicated to providing their patients with the best possible treatment without causing them additional harm.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy-future-ma">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy-future-ma#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/rE1lWnovg_A" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy-future-ma Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:21:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/PMkS_TRCrjE/european-obesity-market-on-track-to-show-drug http://medmarket.posterous.com/european-obesity-market-on-track-to-show-drug <p> <p>The FDA put a slight dent in forecasts for obesity drugs, with a negative view (and decisions) in 2010 that it now seems to be backing away from.</p> <p>Having forecasted the obesity market earlier this year and having taken a position that the FDA might well revisit its negative decisions on Contrave, Lorcaserin and Qnexa (especially if additional trial data is submitted to address specific concerns), we still hold that there will be substantial upside in obesity drugs (and devices) over the coming decade.</p> <p>This is especially true for Europe which, at least in principle, is unaffected by FDA decisions. Below is our forecast of the obesity products market, by specific drug and device types, for Europe through 2019 (sales in $millions).&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-19/gngnIdCvDjbjJtsjDnsugkkxreEycozypEsiuuChfeipAzilqhntiJGrAHhd/eurobesity.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Eurobesity" height="349" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-19/gngnIdCvDjbjJtsjDnsugkkxreEycozypEsiuuChfeipAzilqhntiJGrAHhd/eurobesity.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC; <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s835.htm" title="Products, Technologies and Markets Worldwide for the Clinical Management of Obesity, 2011-2019">Report S835</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/european-obesity-market-on-track-to-show-drug">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/european-obesity-market-on-track-to-show-drug#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/PMkS_TRCrjE" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/european-obesity-market-on-track-to-show-drug Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:52:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/FMFhmRRbjsQ/advanced-wound-closure-global-markets http://medmarket.posterous.com/advanced-wound-closure-global-markets <p> <p>Wounds have been closed and secured through the use of suture materials since ancient Egyptian times. In the modern medical age, suture materials have evolved through a succession of stages from non-resorbable, to resorbable, to stapling devices. Sutures still represent the majority of products used for wound closure and securement, but their days of being the sole means to secure and seal wounds is in decline. &nbsp;Nonetheless, sutures (and other mechanical closure) represent a traditional "gold standard" that all advanced wound closure products must measure up to, whether alone or as products used&nbsp;adjunctively&nbsp;with other closure methods to optimize wound management.</p> <p>There are six main categories of closure and securement devices:</p> <ul> <li>sutures, staples, and other mechanical closure devices</li> <li>medical tapes</li> <li>hemostats</li> <li>fibrin and other sealants</li> <li>high-strength medical adhesives</li> <li>post-surgical adhesion prevention</li> </ul> <div> <p /> <div><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Development Timeline</span></div> <p /> <div>For over a hundred years simple wound closure was achieved through the use of well-established suturing techniques and products. Early in the 1980s the need to control bleeding during new surgical procedures led to an increased use of biological hemostats and sealants. Made from human fibrin as well as thrombin, collagen and gelatin from other species, these materials came into widespread use, particularly in Europe and Asia, led by homologous, pooled, fibrin products such as Beriplast from CSL Behring and Tisseel from Baxter. It was not until 1997 that homologous, pooled fibrin products were approved for use in the United States. The products offer significant benefits for surgical procedures where blood loss is a major factor, but are not strong enough to be used alone for wound closure; consequently they are usually used as adjuncts to suturing.</div> <p /> <div>During the 1990s an opportunity for new surgical closure products was created by the introduction of many new minimally invasive procedures. The ensuing product demand was temporarily addressed with sutures and suturing/stapling devices, autologous fibrin prepared prior to the surgical procedure, bovine and porcine hemostasis products (based on thrombin, collagen and gelatin) and chemically derived cellulose products. However, these products were less than ideal for wound closure and, as a result, were largely (and are still) used for adjunctive hemostasis. The unfilled need for more advanced products, and the huge market potential, led to the creation of biotech-based companies targeting surgical closure products. In the early 1990s this market expanded with the advent of products for adhesion prevention (prevention of fibrotic repair after surgical interventions).</div> </div> <p /> <div>Currently, sutures, staples and other mechanical means of wound closure represent roughly 60% of the global market for wound closure technologies. Hemostats, fibrin and other sealans, high-strength medical adhesives and glues and other wound securement products have seized from traditional wound closure an aggregate market of almost $4 billion globally and continue to expand in use as they not only further penetration traditional wound closure markets but also find new, untapped applications.&nbsp;</div> <div style="padding-left: 30px;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-19/lEieqACIrzgeqivzcCmHDEyJIDfmxAmhGzeIeBFujHwkEHachakoJifqsGrl/advanced-wound.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Advanced-wound" height="418" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-19/lEieqACIrzgeqivzcCmHDEyJIDfmxAmhGzeIeBFujHwkEHachakoJifqsGrl/advanced-wound.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </div> <p>Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC; <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s180.htm" title="Worldwide Surgical Sealants, Glues, Wound Closure and Anti-Adhesion Markets, 2008-2015">Report #S180</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/advanced-wound-closure-global-markets">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/advanced-wound-closure-global-markets#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/FMFhmRRbjsQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/advanced-wound-closure-global-markets Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:29:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/B5_Cy-w8GBw/vertebral-compression-fracture-treatment-tech http://medmarket.posterous.com/vertebral-compression-fracture-treatment-tech <p> <p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>From "Worldwide Spine Surgery: Products, Technologies, Markets &amp; Opportunities, 2010-2020", <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-m520.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #M520</a>, published 2011 by MedMarekt Diligence:</em></span></p> <p>Vertebral compression fractures result primarily from osteoporosis and the consequent weakening of bones, including those in the spine. VCFs can result in tremendous back pain both in the short and long term. Because the injured vertebra is compressed and loses height, kyphotic deformity of that particular vertebra and the spine as a whole often results. Kyphosis in and of itself can produce pain long after the vertebral compression fracture has healed. As discussed earlier, several conditions can lead to osteoporosis, including estrogen deficiency, multiple myeloma, radiation therapy, and natural aging. Bones weakened either due to the primary disease process or as a result of treatment of such diseases are more prone to fracture. Common sites osteoporotic fracture include the spine, hip, and wrist.</p> <p>The traditional treatment for VCFs is conservative care with back braces, bed rest, and analgesic medications for alleviating pain. Although given time the fracture eventually heals, the vertebral body remains in a collapsed, compressed state. This can result in prolonged pain, impaired function, and decreased activity. Additionally, bone and muscle loss resulting from a lack of activity can make recovery even more difficult, leading to the so-called &lsquo;downward spiral&rsquo; of vertebral osteoporosis.</p> <p>In recent years, two minimally invasive procedures have been introduced to treat VCFs: vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. The procedures are very different, in that vertebroplasty is designed to stabilize the break, while kyphoplasty attempts to both stabilize the break and bring the collapsed vertebra back to its original height.&nbsp;</p> <p>Companies with products in vertebroplasty and/or kyphoplasty on the market or under development include:&nbsp;Alphatec, ArthroCare, AscendX, Benvenue Medical, Biomet, BoneSupport, CareFusion, Cook, DePuy Spine, Dfine, Integra Spine, Lafitt, Medtronic, Orthovita, Osseon Therapeutics, Signus, Sintea, Skeltex, Soteira, Spine Wave, SpineAlign, Stryker, Synthes, Tecres, Teknimed, Vexim.</p> <p>Kyphoplasty is currently the bigger market, but trends in procedure volume, pricing and unit sales are causing the gap in global market between kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty to disappear during the forecast period.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-17/HClcGtzBeIsmCDznJeinaHomgykmnJHDzfowBhvFqfnyqiHppAjgmhayeGvC/vertebro-kypho.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Vertebro-kypho" height="391" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-17/HClcGtzBeIsmCDznJeinaHomgykmnJHDzfowBhvFqfnyqiHppAjgmhayeGvC/vertebro-kypho.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <div style="text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="direction: ltr;">Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC; </span><a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-m520.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits" style="direction: ltr;">Report #M520</a><span style="direction: ltr;">.</span></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/vertebral-compression-fracture-treatment-tech">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/vertebral-compression-fracture-treatment-tech#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/B5_Cy-w8GBw" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/vertebral-compression-fracture-treatment-tech Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:22:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/mKN1guf571U/wound-closure-market-shifts-from-traditional http://medmarket.posterous.com/wound-closure-market-shifts-from-traditional <p> <p>As the practice and the market for surgical sealants, glues, wound closure and anti-adhesion evolves, a marked shift is taking place that is moving caseload and market from traditional wound closure products (sutures, staples, mechanical closure, tapes) to advanced wound closure products (hemostats, fibrin and other sealants, high-strength medical adhesives, and post-surgical adhesion prevention).</p> <p>Below is illustrated the change in the percentage of the total market for wound closure and securement products.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-05/jdioofeGhoFHcAwpqGIJDpcufhpkAxDzEEfJcuHdxhuHxptmgtJlFugbfFzo/sealants-change-total-market.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Sealants-change-total-market" height="464" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-05/jdioofeGhoFHcAwpqGIJDpcufhpkAxDzEEfJcuHdxhuHxptmgtJlFugbfFzo/sealants-change-total-market.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC, <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s180.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #S180</a>, "Worldwide Surgical Sealants, Glues, Wound Closure and Anti-Adhesion Markets, 2008-2015".</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/wound-closure-market-shifts-from-traditional">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/wound-closure-market-shifts-from-traditional#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/mKN1guf571U" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/wound-closure-market-shifts-from-traditional Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:32:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/7l9ZXbIiDyk/be-human-and-do-the-right-thing http://medmarket.posterous.com/be-human-and-do-the-right-thing <p> <p>This is not a post about me or my business. &nbsp;This is about being human and recognizing, in all of the people around us, what it is to be human. &nbsp;We are all human.</p> <p>On Saturday, October 1, while on my way with my wife and kids to go to the movies, we encountered a man, off his bike and down on the side of the road, who had suffered, as we found out later, a massive heart attack. &nbsp;He had what is called a "widow maker" heart attack, resulting from a total occlusion of his left anterior descending coronary artery. Another passerby, a bicyclist like the man down but (as I learned) was not with him, had encountered the man down moments before and look a bit rattled, seeing the seriousness of the situtation, but not seeming to know what to do.</p> <p>My father was a surgeon, my uncle a pediatrician. &nbsp;I considered medicine as an undergraduate but found I didn't have the cutthroat temperament that was prevalent among pre-meds, nor did I really have the drive to pursue the career. I was also eminently distracted by a lot of other great science that was taking place in molecular biology and genetics in the early 1980s. &nbsp;So, after college, I traveled down a road that included healthcare, commercial biotechnology labwork, biotech business development and ultimately market analysis of medical technologies. I was fascinated by the idea of applying science to specific, targeted applications -- diagnostics, therapeutics. That road took me into healthcare, but in a role that is at arm's length from people, the actual recipients of healthcare.</p> <p>The man down is younger than me. I'm 51. &nbsp;Aside from being unconscious, he looks like he is in pretty good shape. My guess is that he could be in his mid or late-30s. &nbsp;(I learn later that he is actually 49.) &nbsp;With the mountain bike, his helmet on, sunglasses on, lying on his back on the slope by the sidewalk -- &nbsp;he looks like he is just resting from his ride. But as the other biker recognized, the man down is not resting, he's unconscious.</p> <p>Twenty years ago, I worked at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, close to the University of Dallas, where I got my bachelor's degree. I worked there to gain exposure to the front line of medicine. Parkland is a <strong>large</strong> county hospital (where JFK was brought after Dealey Plaza) that encounters everything in metropolitan medicine from major to minor trauma and every type of ailment, injury and disease. Its ER alone is larger than most hospitals, even at big cities. As an "emergency technician" -- slang for "do everything unappealing that needs to be done in the ER", from clean up to "take this poor soul to the morgue" -- I encountered a lot of medicine that was perfectly suited to showing me the hardcore reality of medicine. It neither validated nor rejected my view of medicine as a career, since for whatever reason I felt as if I already knew this was the way it was. People live, people die, naturally or not, and all of them happened there, from the poor old emaciated woman with jet black hair (dyed probably out of vanity), whose family brought her, in advanced stages of metastatic cancer, to die in the ER without pain, to the poor blue collar worker who suffered a massive heart attack at the end of his otherwise unremarkable day. I saw those who were beyond help as often as those who were pulled from the abyss by underpaid nurses and exhausted ER docs who just did the right thing when it was necessary.</p> <p>I pat him several times on the shoulder and call to him, "buddy, are you OK, can you hear me?". No response. &nbsp;I check his pulse. &nbsp;I feel two, maybe three beats that are feeble and not convincing. The beats stop. I pull off his sunglasses. That hits me hard, since his eyes are looking at something, or nothing, that isn't here anymore. I realize that I've seen this before and I start to tense (this man is close to the end). &nbsp;I put my ear to his chest to hear something, anything. Nothing. At this point, I hear my mother urging me to do the right thing no matter what. I just start in without much thought and, in any case, I feel as though I'm operating purely on instinct anyway.</p> <p>I am thinking, this man is young -- younger than me -- I have no doubt that he has a young wife and young kids. &nbsp;My eyes well up as I think, someone loves him, someone depends on him, I have to do something, I have to try. "Call 911" I yell, knowing there are other people behind me, and I hear someone respond that they're on it. I pull off his helmet (thinking, it's too tight, the strap must be hurting his ability to get air), he's in the bushes on a slope, let's get him down on the sidewalk. I worry that his head, which lolls so freely forward and back, will hit the pavement. I call to the other bicyclist to hold the man's head, he does, and I lay him down.</p> <p>At that point, it is really a blur as I do everything I can, calling upon everything I have learned from training years ago, from references to CPR I have read recently (not realizing how "relevant" they are), to my instincts. He needs oxygenated blood. How long has he been down? He's warm, not long, but it's also hot today. Who knows? I give three to four breaths to make sure there's fresh oxygen in his lungs. The air comes back in a groan from him (my emotions say he's alive, but my logic tells me it's just air coming back over the vocal cords). He needs compressions, mostly compressions. I start doing the compressions, knowing that it's the center of the sternum, above the xyphoid process and that it requires deeper compressions than my instincts might suggest.</p> <p>Time is passing faster than I can realize. I honestly have no idea how long I have been at the compressions. Five, ten minutes, more? Sirens, fire trucks, Orange County Sheriffs, suddenly there are MANY people here. An EMT asks, Are you OK? Can you continue? I need to get set up, he says. I'm fine (I can't see how I would stop until they told me to). He says, OK, just keep going a little faster, a little deeper, so I do.</p> <p>Eight years ago, in the middle of the night, I had a deep chest pain that didn't resemble any minor ache, pain, or gas bubble I had ever had. I called my doctor, got checked out. At 43 years old, I had two coronary arteries that were nearly 90% occluded. &nbsp;An angioplasty and a stent brought me back to my wife and kids and changed my definitions of what was important from then on.</p> <p>I am relieved to have all of these professionals take over, with their training, experience, and technologies. &nbsp;But at the same time, I worry about this poor man, who I have come to have such a vested interest in, and whether they will absolutely do everything they can to get him back.</p> <p>He is defibrillated two, three (?) times, arms flying up in reaction to the jolt. I wait for some kind of response that is not a simple reflex, a reaction. &nbsp;An EMT tells me he's in v-fib (ventricular fibrillation) -- I ask if that is in any way a good sign, but he says no, not really. Neighbors have now arrived, recognizing me or just drawn by curiosity to this event. I tell those I know that this doesn't look good. I try not to break down. This poor man. His poor family.</p> <p>I realize, after giving my story and contact details to police that it is time for me to leave. The man is being put on a stretcher, loaded into the ambulance. &nbsp;An officer comes to me, shakes my hand and says thank you, he has a chance. I am startled. He says there is a pulse, he may yet make it.</p> <p>My wife and kids are in the car across the street, I need to go to them. (I learn that my wife wanted to make sure 911 was called, knowing that cell phones are sometime unreliable in giving precise locations, so she drove to a neighbor's house, burst in and did so. She will always do the right thing.)</p> <p>I see a woman arrive at the scene, very distraught, she must be his wife. I want to comfort her, but it is all so chaotic, uncertain. I am so afraid for her future and his.</p> <p>I have no idea who he is. I've never seen him before. &nbsp;But that doesn't matter. &nbsp;He's human. I'm human. I have no choice but to try and help him.</p> <p>My first instinct after telling people about this is to tell them, take a course in CPR. Get certified. Someday you just might need it and you will never regret that at least you did your best.</p> <p>He is still in the hospital. &nbsp;His fate is uncertain and he may not yet make it. All I know is that, if I was not there and did what I did, his fate would indeed be certain.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/be-human-and-do-the-right-thing">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/be-human-and-do-the-right-thing#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/7l9ZXbIiDyk" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/be-human-and-do-the-right-thing Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:37:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/o8QiA0GQ1B0/pharmaceutical-research-in-obesity http://medmarket.posterous.com/pharmaceutical-research-in-obesity <p> <p>The challenges in the treatment of obesity are in providing practical, long-term solutions to a condition that is growing rapidly and is associated with numerous co-morbidities that include diabetes, hypertension (and other cardiovascular diseases), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and cancer, among others.</p> <p>Obesity is most commonly addressed, from a clinical solution, in device- and non-device-related bariatric surgery and a very limited number of drugs. Roux-en-Y and other gastric bypass procedure volumes have seen steady increases over the past few years as these procedures have been aggressively marketed and third party reimbursement has become more common. &nbsp;Obesity device sales (lap-band and others) have grown, and will continue to grow, steadily.</p> <p>As with most surgeries, however, there are morbidities associated with the procedures, whether or not devices are employed and long-term success has not been high enough to displace demand for pharmaceutical solutions. &nbsp;Development of pharmaceuticals for obesity has been aggressive, but fraught with uncertainty in the regulatory process that, until only in mid-2011, seemed to make approval to be a moving target, if not unreachable.</p> <p>Beyond the revived approval process now in play for drugs by Vivus, Orexigen, and Arena, pharmaceutical development in the field of obesity is focusing on several major areas:</p> <ul> <li>Melanocortin receptor system</li> <li>Cannabinoid receptor agonists</li> <li>GLP-1 analogs</li> <li>Methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) inhibitor</li> <li>Appetite suppression drugs (Arena's lorcaserin,&nbsp;NeuroSearch&rsquo;s Tesofensine, Shionogi's Velneperit)</li> <li>Malabsorption drugs</li> <li>Satiety drugs</li> <li>Combination drugs</li> </ul> <p>We track the market for all obesity drugs and devices on the market and in development in our<a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s835.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits"> Report #S835</a>, "Products, Technologies and Markets Worldwide for the Clinical Management of Obesity, 2011-2019."</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/pharmaceutical-research-in-obesity">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/pharmaceutical-research-in-obesity#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/o8QiA0GQ1B0" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/pharmaceutical-research-in-obesity Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:38:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/An2pq9KzdbM/spine-surgery-technologies-gaininglosing-grou http://medmarket.posterous.com/spine-surgery-technologies-gaininglosing-grou <p> <p>One thing to keep in mind about the spine surgery market is that, without exception, each and every technology continues to grow from the underlying procedure volume and even if prices are declining (as they are in some cases) the resulting market is also increasing as a result of procedure volume increases.</p> <p>Hence, for the sake of highlighting where the growth stands out, it is useful to see the change in each technology's share of the total market over the 2010 to 2020 period.</p> <p>Below is illustrated the change in percent of total market between 2010 and 2020 for each of the key technologies in spine surgery. First among these in gaining relative share are lumbar artificial discs and posterior pedicle screw fusion systems.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-28/rkfrxurEdEJJdmDmItkpIJoCHoHACnBBbEnFeEGznhvoFvHhtvcDFEvhFugu/segment-shift-spine.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Segment-shift-spine" height="277" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-28/rkfrxurEdEJJdmDmItkpIJoCHoHACnBBbEnFeEGznhvoFvHhtvcDFEvhFugu/segment-shift-spine.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC; <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-m520.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #M520</a>, "Worldwide Spine Surgery: Products, Technologies, Markets and Opportunities,&nbsp;2010-2020".</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/spine-surgery-technologies-gaininglosing-grou">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/spine-surgery-technologies-gaininglosing-grou#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/An2pq9KzdbM" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/spine-surgery-technologies-gaininglosing-grou Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:10:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/pbcxnjtp1vE/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy <p> <p>Stem cell therapy has the potential to treat a broad range of acute and chronic degenerative diseases. These applications include: hematopoietic cells for blood diseases and cancer, myocardial and endothelial vascular tissue for cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular disease skin cells for dermatological conditions, retinal pigment epithelium cells as treatment for macular degeneration and retinal pigmentosis, neural cells for spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, pancreatic islet &szlig; cells for diabetes, liver cells for hepatitis and cirrhosis, cartilage cells for arthritis, and lung cells for a variety of pulmonary diseases. As populations age in developed countries, the need to treat increasing numbers of people with these disorders is likewise increasing.</p> <p>With increased attention being paid to the need for these technologies, researchers have been reporting promising results in several areas.</p> <p>In results reported in 2009, scientists from MIT found that stem cells can improve stem cells&rsquo; ability to regenerate vascular tissue by equipping them with genes that produce extra growth factors. These results were produced in mice; specially developed nanoparticles were used to deliver vascular endothelial growth factor to stem cells removed from the mouses&rsquo; bone marrow. The enhanced stem cells were then implanted into damaged tissue, where they regenerated blood vessles near the injury, thus allowing the damaged tissue to survive.</p> <p>Other results reported in 2009 (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 2009) showed researchers have had some success in engineering human tissue patches for cardiovascular repair. These clinicians (from the University of Washington, led by Dr. Charles Murry) created disk-shaped patches measuring less than a millimeter up to a half-inch in diameter decided to examine the possibility of creating new tissue with supply lines for oxygen and nutrients needed by living cells. Previously, heart tissue patches composed of only heart muscle cells could not grow big enough or survive long enough to adhere to the heart once implanted. Researchers added to the heart muscle cell mixture two other types of cells similar to those inside blood vessels and cells that provide vascular muscular support. All of the heart muscle cells were derived from embryonic stem cells or a variety of more mature sources such as umbilical cord blood. The result was seen in the formation of tissue containing tiny blood vessels.</p> <p>On the orthopedic front, adult stem cells were used to regrow a 14-year-old boy&rsquo;s missing cheekbones at the Cincinnati Children&rsquo;s Hospital Medical Center. The technique used reengineered autologous stem cells.</p> <p>In another example, scientists at the University of Bristol developed new scaffolds that can be used to grow such tissues as skin, nerves and cartilage. They built the scaffolds by using proteins from alpha helices to create long fibers (hydrogelating self-assembling fibers or hydrogels).</p> <p><strong>Unmet Clinical Needs</strong></p> <p>Allotransplantation (the transplanting of donated organs or tissues from a cadaver or a living donor) works effectively but has a couple of significant drawbacks. First, the number of organs available for donation is always far smaller than the number of organs and tissues needed by patients. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there were more than 102,000 people in the United States alone waiting for donated organs in 2007; many of those on the waiting list die before a suitable organ or tissue becomes available. Secondly, even when an organ becomes available, organ transplant is a very expensive procedure. In addition, if the procedure is successful, the transplant recipient may often need to take immunosuppressive drugs, sometimes for life. Yet another factor in the equation is the cost of keeping patients alive while awaiting a donor, or caring for them until they die if no donor is found. &nbsp;</p> <p>One solution to this would be to use genetically designed pigs, animals whose organs would present minimal immunologic reaction to the host. Such animals (the pig is often cited because most of its internal organs are similar to human organs) could potentially present an unlimited supply of organs for donation to and implantation in humans.&nbsp;</p> <p>Designing a genetically engineered pig that is capable of carrying human immune proteins has been the focus of select researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Results published in 2009 in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology showed how the scientists successfully reprogrammed pig skin and bone marrow cells into an embryo-like state with the potential to form every type of body tissue. The successful creation of pig pluripotent stem cells would enable engineering of transgenic animals for organ transplantation purposes. The embryonic or induced stem cellscould be used to modify the immune-related genes in the pig to make the pig&rsquo;s organs compatible to the human immune system, thus allowing the pigs to be used as organ donors without triggering an adverse reaction from the patient&rsquo;s own immune system.</p> <p>Another solution would be, of course, tissue engineering and cell therapy. There are hundreds of companies working in the field of tissue engineering, expanding the procedures, devices, cell-based products, biomaterial-based products and other products for the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues.</p> <p>See the current (2011) market for tissue engineering and cell therapy by area of clinical focus.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-27/FDksDHwGyFJfvFHcrGdAAsloJmuaCajgxfejllvedvaDCdiqsfHrJyrsboaC/TE_cell_2011.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Te_cell_2011" height="421" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-27/FDksDHwGyFJfvFHcrGdAAsloJmuaCajgxfejllvedvaDCdiqsfHrJyrsboaC/TE_cell_2011.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC; <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s520.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #S520</a>, "Tissue Engineering, Cell Therapy and Transplantation: Products, Technologies &amp; Market Opportunities, Worldwide, 2009-2018."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/pbcxnjtp1vE" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-engineering-and-cell-therapy Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:15:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/4BpF4RiRmjI/surgical-sealants-glues-suturesclips-hemostat http://medmarket.posterous.com/surgical-sealants-glues-suturesclips-hemostat <p> <p>The world market for the securement products, encompassing wound closure/sealing, hemostasis and anti-adhesion) is currently valued at more than $9.7 billion. This total market is growing at a steady 6.7% compound annual rate, though growth rates for individual regions vary.&nbsp;</p> <p>Average growth in the world closure and securement products market also reflects differing conditions in individual countries, ranging between 3% CAGR for less developed economies and considerably higher for the United States.</p> <p>Below is illustrated the market value and compound annual growth rate of the closure and securement market for countries outside the U.S. (the U.S. dominates the world market, largely dwarfing non-U.S. markets).</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-26/jDqxqGhlDlIBACjnIfIIovilbhpvanrhxucwacAcaolDuGjtqqjlBmktEdnh/securement-size-growth.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Securement-size-growth" height="392" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-26/jDqxqGhlDlIBACjnIfIIovilbhpvanrhxucwacAcaolDuGjtqqjlBmktEdnh/securement-size-growth.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Source: MedMarket Diligence <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s180.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #S180</a>; "Worldwide Surgical Sealants, Glues, Wound Closure and Anti-Adhesion Markets, 2008-2015."</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/surgical-sealants-glues-suturesclips-hemostat">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/surgical-sealants-glues-suturesclips-hemostat#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/4BpF4RiRmjI" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/surgical-sealants-glues-suturesclips-hemostat Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:15:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/SzO1gXLLfe0/the-obesity-drug-opportunity-remains-94450 http://medmarket.posterous.com/the-obesity-drug-opportunity-remains-94450 <p> <p>Memory is as fleeting in the marketplace as are the FDA's policies. So, when it comes to considering the potential for developing drugs in the treatment of obesity, it should not be a surprise that the obesity market rises and falls in synchrony with the whims of the FDA.</p> <p>In mid 2010, the thrust was on for obesity drug manufacturers. &nbsp;Rising prevalence, a heightened sensitivity that obesity is a lynchpin for a litany of healthcare costs and an implicit recognition that a drug will <em><strong>always</strong></em> be less invasive than a gastric bypass were the forces collectively responsible for obesity drug development. &nbsp;Then, from that black box that drives FDA policy came a conclusion <em>a la</em> fen-phen that obesity drugs are inherently dangerous. &nbsp;Hence, by early 2011, <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2011/03/17/taking-a-bite-out-of-amylins-obesity-drug-potentia.aspx">Motley Fool</a> reports:</p> <blockquote class="posterous_medium_quote"> <p>Obesity drugs with safety issues are as common as celebrities getting fired for saying (or tweeting) something stupid. The Food and Drug Administration wants a cardiovascular safety trial before it'll approve Orexigen's (Nasdaq: OREX &nbsp;) Contrave. Arena Pharmaceuticals' (Nasdaq: ARNA &nbsp;) lorcaserin has potential cancer issues. And VIVUS (Nasdaq: VVUS &nbsp;) is dealing with the potential for its combination drug, Qnexa, to cause cleft lip in babies whose mothers take the drug.</p> </blockquote> <p>Then, without so much as a <em>mea culpa</em>, in September 2011, the FDA turns around and relaxes its demands for safety data. &nbsp;Obesity drugs now have a seemingly shorter path to approval than it seemed a scant month ago. Stocks of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Orexigen and Vivus are back on the rise (not where they were, mid-2010) but headed back in that direction.</p> <p>Below is the global market opportunity for obesity drugs that remains unchanged as a result of the FDA turnaround.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Obesity-drugs" height="413" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-22/IutawbhfowpzAcebuwEFdgGxdEHbgkHyuuaqqkGoDDtxChgFsobpoEFdFwch/obesity-drugs.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="475" /> </div> </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Source: "Products, Technologies and Markets Worldwide for the Clinical Management of Obesity, 2011-2019". MedMarket Diligence, LLC; <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s835.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #S835</a>.</p> <p>One cannot say that an opportunity exists irrespective of the stance of the FDA, at least not anyone who witnessed, as Motlely Fool called <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2011/09/21/obesity-drug-makers-stop-getting-bullied.aspx">FDA bullying</a>. &nbsp;In the U.S., regardless of the latent demand or the amount of efficacy <em>sans</em> safety data, the FDA is a gatekeeper. &nbsp;Even without the obesity drug barricade that the FDA erected, then has seemingly started tearing down, the capricious, unpredictable and, most of all, drawn-out regulatory approval process has been driving manufacturers elsewhere -- the EU, even though it is far more Europe than it is Union, is still a well developed western market, and even South America, with its proximity to U.S. distribution systems, has become very attractive.</p> <p>Demand for drug treatments for obesity remains high -- in some ways it may be even higher than had the FDA not become such a barrier. In a free market economy, even as flawed as that model may seem in today's debt-riddled, recessionary world, demand remains a driver that seems to have much more staying power than anyone previously considered.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/the-obesity-drug-opportunity-remains-94450">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/the-obesity-drug-opportunity-remains-94450#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/SzO1gXLLfe0" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/the-obesity-drug-opportunity-remains-94450 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:20:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/dqIEbekkCKE/growth-of-modalities-in-tissue-ablation http://medmarket.posterous.com/growth-of-modalities-in-tissue-ablation <p> <p>An examination of the future markets for technologies used in therapeutic ablation has support for a general and sustained growth in ablation technology revenues:</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-21/EoDxrttmdmlIlcldeqHCxGvbcJIqwCsBdCxvvsaBijDCpIzdGizBfefbDyjC/ablation-modality-growth-revenues.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Ablation-modality-growth-revenues" height="390" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-21/EoDxrttmdmlIlcldeqHCxGvbcJIqwCsBdCxvvsaBijDCpIzdGizBfefbDyjC/ablation-modality-growth-revenues.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Source: <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-a145.htm" title="Ablation Technologies Worldwide Market; report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #A145</a></p> <p>However, when considering the relative growth of each of the modalities in tissue ablation, it is clear that some modalities are growing more aggressively than others:</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-21/xgtobdIfhltukCyyGohttgjzJtaudzdpdzunztBrxBxzzHjshIBiBckpuBkd/ablation-modality-growth-shares.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Ablation-modality-growth-shares" height="388" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-21/xgtobdIfhltukCyyGohttgjzJtaudzdpdzunztBrxBxzzHjshIBiBckpuBkd/ablation-modality-growth-shares.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Source: <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-a145.htm" title="Ablation Technologies Worldwide Market; report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #A145</a></p> <p>The "traditional" types of tissue ablation -- electrosurgery and radiation therapy -- are losing relative share as new modalities are able to penetrate caseload of other modalities, or even tap previously untreated patients and increase the aggregate caseload. In particular, radiofrequency and cryotherapy will demonstrate the highest growth over the 2011 to 2019 period.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/growth-of-modalities-in-tissue-ablation">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/growth-of-modalities-in-tissue-ablation#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/dqIEbekkCKE" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/growth-of-modalities-in-tissue-ablation Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:46:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/PKZJtrXRHWA/obesity-treatment-options-maintaining-steady http://medmarket.posterous.com/obesity-treatment-options-maintaining-steady <p> <p>Obesity rates are at 30% (and higher) in developed countries, while a recognition of obesity's direct and indirect costs is driving development of treatment options. Given the size of the problem and its increasing prevalence and costs, one can readily conclude that the problem of obesity remains largely untouched. &nbsp;A variety of drugs and devices have been developed and are either on the market or the subject of aggressive industry effort to get them introduced. &nbsp;Thus far, the bulk of the success has come from obesity devices, including "restrictive" devices and "artificial fullness" devices. &nbsp;</p> <p>Based on the resilient drivers of drug and device development in obesity, the treatment options available and the manufacturer revenues that are generated will tap into that steady state of demand to result in a rapidly changing market picture for drugs and devices. &nbsp;Accordingly, a substantial shift in obesity treatment options is going to happen over even just the next four years.</p> <p>Below is illustrated the distribution of the obesity treatment market across options available in 2011 and in 2015. &nbsp;</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Obesity-vert-pies" height="671" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-20/thyJCxaFndBaphlfxBxvEntuBrClcHliaeCjwcmdhFunfDCzmzokhsrHcueb/obesity-vert-pies.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="400" /> </div> </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Source: MedMarket Diligence <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s835.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #S835</a>, "Products, Technologies and Markets Worldwide for the Clinical Management of Obesity, 2011-2019."</p> <p>In the aggregate, drug options, which currently only represent 45% of revenues, will rise to 65% by 2015 with the introduction of several drugs and drug types. &nbsp;This will mean only a relative reduction in the device market -- indeed, select obesity device categories will be increasing at better than 60% annually -- since the aggregate market continues to grow as more demand is addressed by drugs and devices.</p> <p>With Vivus announcing that it has reached agreement with the&nbsp;<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Endocrine and Metabolic Division of the FDA on an early resubmission of its QNEXA new drug application for the treatment of obesity and, separately, with&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Arena Pharmaceuticals indicating that it plans to resubmit by year end 2011 its application for Lorcaserin, which was turned down by the FDA in 2010, and with Orexigen getting word from the FDA that Contrave has a shot at approval, the obesity drug market will be the major contender in obesity treatments that many expected it to be, despite the FDA's initial resistance.</span></p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/obesity-treatment-options-maintaining-steady">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/obesity-treatment-options-maintaining-steady#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/PKZJtrXRHWA" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/obesity-treatment-options-maintaining-steady Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:39:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/mJ5Cfj4fMWs/market-growth-versus-size-in-spine-surgery-pr http://medmarket.posterous.com/market-growth-versus-size-in-spine-surgery-pr <p> <p>Often, one must see the forest before appreciating what a tree is. In the context of examining medtech markets, I am constantly interested in being able to answer the "so what?" question. For example, so what that the global spine surgery market is currently over $13 billion annually? What does this matter to the individual manufacturer of [fill in the blank] spine product? Does this manufacturer focus on pedicle screws, an interbody fusion device, an artificial disc, an allograft, a DBM? &nbsp;What are the opportunities and challenges that any particular current (or hopeful) market participant faces in seeking to sustain or grow market share for their <em>own particular</em> market position(s)?</p> <p>There are two ways to look at it, from the top down (what share of x is y now, and in the future?) or the bottom up (what are the current and forecast sales of [spine product] in [specific country]? Of course, clients need to know -- as clearly as possible -- where they are now, <strong>as well as</strong> where they will be in the future, given the likely outcome of their possible moves -- and the net effect of those of all competitors -- that they may make <span style="text-decoration: underline;">today</span>.</p> <p>Therefore, I tend to look at medical technology markets from the standpoint of the market size (i.e., $ million/billion revenues) of the various product segments (not just U.S., or Europe, but GLOBALLY) and the forecast growth rates (I say <strong>rate<span style="text-decoration: underline;">s</span></strong>, not rate, since markets are always in flux, with variable rates) for each of the discrete components of the market.&nbsp;</p> <p>Illustrated below is the market for products in spine surgery, presented on two scales: &nbsp;market size and market growth.</p> <p><span><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-19/fhGqtgaDsdEAviweEjddquokxljlqqlDqbEpDADvfxDqhtrjgHzcFkoxrAiy/spine-2011-segment-size-growth.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Spine-2011-segment-size-growth" height="313" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-19/fhGqtgaDsdEAviweEjddquokxljlqqlDqbEpDADvfxDqhtrjgHzcFkoxrAiy/spine-2011-segment-size-growth.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </span></p> <p>Source: MedMarket Diligence <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-m520.htm" title="Spine Surgery Worldwide, report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #M520</a>.</p> <p>This graph illustrates the context of spine surgery for all relevant participants (based on our categorization of the constituent spine market segments).</p> <p>Since this data is illustrated on two axes -- growth and size -- it lends an opportunity for the reader to consider (a) size in the context of growth, (b) growth in the context of size and (c) both.</p> <p>In the end, this type of data is useful only in framing out the <em>relative size</em> of the market opportunity, the importance of which is dependent on whether companies are established or emerging with new tehnology. It is the responsibility of each medtech manufacturer to determine how that specifically applies to their own situation.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/market-growth-versus-size-in-spine-surgery-pr">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/market-growth-versus-size-in-spine-surgery-pr#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/mJ5Cfj4fMWs" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/market-growth-versus-size-in-spine-surgery-pr Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:53:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/5VKP8RM0dNU/steady-growth-in-wound-management-products http://medmarket.posterous.com/steady-growth-in-wound-management-products <p> <p>Wound management, with its diverse products, well established base and growth prospects, not only for the advanced product segments but also for its tradiitional products, is an attractive area for medical technologies, drawing many active market participants.</p> <p>The need for effective and improved technologies for acute and chronic wounds continues to be high, driven by the demographics of the aging population, the increasing sensitivity of healthcare systems to high costs such as chronic wounds and other forces. &nbsp;The industry has responded by developing and introducing more complex types of wound products focused on shortening wound healing times and costs.</p> <p>The largest single category of wound management products is already in physical wound management, encompassing negative pressure wound therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, hydrotherapy, electrical stimulation, electromagnetic stimulation, ultrasound, laser and others. &nbsp;This category will also demonstrate some of greatest growth in wound management over the next several years. Other areas of significant growth include the use of growth factors, and foam and alginate dressings.</p> <p>Illustrated is the global wound management market by product segment for 2008 and 2017.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Wound-by-segment-2008-2017" height="507" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-19/EahEcftxJfsdIdypbuCxIAshzpfmuvsHtEAeAqmwlyChdJwbqzcpddjetcgn/Wound-by-segment-2008-2017.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="469" /> </div> </p> <p>Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC; <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-s247.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #S247</a>.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/steady-growth-in-wound-management-products">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/steady-growth-in-wound-management-products#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/5VKP8RM0dNU" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/steady-growth-in-wound-management-products Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:51:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/34aJmwgWUVo/tissue-ablation-is-predominantly-a-cancer-the http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-ablation-is-predominantly-a-cancer-the <p> <p>Tissue ablation is defined as the &ldquo;removal of a body part or the destruction of its function, as by surgery, disease, or a noxious substance.&rdquo; Put more simply, ablation is considered to be a therapeutic destruction and sealing of tissue.</p> <p class="bodytext">The technologies representing the majority of physical (rather than chemical) ablation are comprised of the following:</p> <ul> <li>Electrical</li> <li>Radiation</li> <li>Light</li> <li>Radiofrequency</li> <li>Ultrasound</li> <li>Cryotherapy</li> <li>Thermal (other than cryotherapy)</li> <li>Microwave</li> <li>Hydromechanical</li> </ul> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Ablation-clinical-shares" height="327" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-16/jaxdcJpvjGqpydxqdeyuDqsccfHIxDmiJgCactxeBDBuucppHiugctorDeqa/ablation-clinical-shares.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="482" /> </div> </p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-a145.htm" title="Report description, table of contents, list of exhibits">Report #A145</a>, "Ablation Technologies Worldwide Market, 2009-2019: Products, Technologies, Markets, Companies and Opportunities."</p> <p>The largest share of the market for energy-based ablation devices is used in cancer therapy, primarily using the radiation therapy modality. Following that is general surgery with its use of electrocautery and electrosurgical devices, RF ablation, cryotherapy, etc. Cardiovascular is thought to be third, even though cardiovascular is making the most noise in the medical press with RF and cryoablation of atrial fibrillation, this segment is thought to be third in share order. The remaining applications are relatively small and fall in line behind the three leading sectors.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-ablation-is-predominantly-a-cancer-the">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-ablation-is-predominantly-a-cancer-the#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/34aJmwgWUVo" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/tissue-ablation-is-predominantly-a-cancer-the Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:51:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~3/OL2zGwB73Oo/degenerative-disc-disease-driving-spine-surge http://medmarket.posterous.com/degenerative-disc-disease-driving-spine-surge <p> <p>Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is one of the most common conditions affecting adults. &nbsp;While it does not always manifest itself in symptoms (it can be seen by MRI in 25% of asymptomatic individuals under 40, and in 60% of asymptomatic individuals over 40), its prevalence in an aging population, in which its prevalence increases, is a big driver of spine surgery procedures. &nbsp;DDD can encompass degradation of bony architecture, discs, or supporting muscles and ligaments of the spine.&nbsp;</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-15/dExjzCxmnCaqJFscFwyADGIbgDmncEzlzwDcfJjccHlanJaCuvEGkasxofzc/spine-surgery-DDD2.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Spine-surgery-ddd2" height="315" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-15/dExjzCxmnCaqJFscFwyADGIbgDmncEzlzwDcfJjccHlanJaCuvEGkasxofzc/spine-surgery-DDD2.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.mediligence.com/rpt/rpt-m520.htm">Report #M520</a>, "Worldwide Spine Surgery Market 2010-2020."</p> <p>DDD is addressed surgically by procedures that fuse adjacent vertebra or replace the disc. In the graph are shown these global procedure volumes in 2010 for treatment of DDD.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/degenerative-disc-disease-driving-spine-surge">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://medmarket.posterous.com/degenerative-disc-disease-driving-spine-surge#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MedmarketPosterous/~4/OL2zGwB73Oo" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/68851/pdriscoll-pic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1biiKJw3Chj Patrick Driscoll medmarket Patrick Driscoll http://medmarket.posterous.com/degenerative-disc-disease-driving-spine-surge