Year 2007 marks the 30th year of this publication’s analysis of U.S. and international med-tech, with Biomedical Business & Technology having issues of our predecessor newsletter beginning from 1983.

To highlight what has or has not changed in this industry, we here provide samples of news items from these earlier publications.

July 1983 —

“DIABETES MANAGEMENT - The Great Home Health/Self Care Opportunity

A large market for personal blood glucose monitors exists. Currently some 120,000 units, costing $220-240 each, are in use in the U.S., virtually all sold by AMES/MILES LABORATORIES (BAYER). With approximately one-third of the blood glucose self-control patients using visual (color indication) strips rather than digital meters, an estimated 180,000 diabetics perform self blood glucose testing. Assuming that 150,000 are insulin-dependent, only a 12-13% self-testing penetration among U.S. Type I diabetics has been achieved - up from an estimated 4% in 1981.

Over 10,000 ambulatory pumps are in use worldwide. Around 70% are in the U.S.-about two-thirds for insulin. Prices per pump vary from less than $1,000 (MEDIX, MUIRHEAD) to the $2,500 range (WINDSOR MEDICALL, CPI, PACESETTER) — on average one-third of the implantable device price. Ambulatory pumps use $1.50 to $2.00 of disposables (subcutaneous set, syringe, etc.) a day resulting in a U.S. market of some $3 mln this year. With about 5,000 insulin pumps in use in the U.S., less than 0.5% penetration among Type I diabetics has occurred.

Glucose sensors that convert an insulin pump into an on-demand artificial pancreas (closed loop) are under development at a variety of companies and institutions including OMIKRON (Israel), FUJISAWA (Japan), TRIMEDYNE (Arlington Heights, Ill.), UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, CRANFIELD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (U.K.), etc.

Alternative methods of insulin delivery will threaten the scale of insulin pumps toward the end of this decade. These include insulin by nasal inhalation; subcutaneously implantable insulin capsules; long acting insulin released from an implantable, biodegradable matrix (CONNAUGHT); and the implantation of microencapsulated insulin producing pancreatic cells (DAMON’s Encapcel system).

“INTERNATIONAL SCENE

Miscellaneous News in brief

Australia’s newly elected Labor Government will reintroduce a universal health insurance scheme. The previous one, Medibank, was aborted by the recently ousted Liberal government. The new program will provide all Australians with medical benefits of 85% of scheduled fees-with a maximum payment for any one service of A$10. Treatment in community health centers, public health centers, public hospitals and outpatient treatment are free of charge.

“U.S. DEVELOPMENTS

Newly organized GV MEDICAL (founded by, among others, Manny Vilafana, ST. JUDE MEDICAL) will pursue angioplasty laser technologies. The company envisions an angioplasty catheter device for balloon dilatation, incorporating a fiber optic laser channel. The laser would be used to selectively remove minor stenotic areas that otherwise might prevent the catheter from reaching the major stenosis... .” Physicians May Resist Artificial-Intelligence Machines-”Expert Systems,” (the term used to describe computer systems programmed to exhibit “artificial intelligence”) are now moving out of the research laboratory into the commercial marketplace. According to a research report from INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (Norwalk, Conn.), biomedical applications promise to be among the fastest growing uses of artificial intelligence (AI) and will reduce the time and cost of diagnosing illnesses, while adding to the accuracy of diagnoses.

Some observers, noting that up to one-half of certain operations turn out to have been unnecessary, believe that the new AI technology will leave hospitals half empty. However, IRD expects no such dramatic result any time soon. First, it will be at least five years before AI-based systems are widely used in U.S. medical practice. And second, the physicians will probably move to control-even suppress-the spread of machine which may cut into their source of income.”