Device Innovations Target ENT
Executive Summary
The field of otorhinolaryngology is evolving as physicians turn to less invasive and more precise surgical and nonsurgical approaches to treat a variety of ear, nose, and throat conditions. At this year's meeting of the American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, held in San Diego in October, innovation was on display as researchers discussed a variety of current and emerging technologies for use in sinus and head and neck surgery.
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Companies See Opportunities In Expanding ENT Market
The ear, nose, and throat market now boasts several large device manufacturers that see possibilities in this space for innovative new minimally invasive products. Such competition is the ideal landscape for innovation, as the large companies battle for market share, while start-up firms and VCs see opportunities to take the market in new directions.
Companies See Opportunities In Expanding ENT Market
Competition breeds innovation, and the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) market, once a fairly quiet arena, is now positioned to host some spirited activity that should lead to new technologies. Several large device manufacturers have recently moved into the ENT space, and the sinus treatment segment of the market has become one of the focal points for emerging competitors, as companies work toward less-invasive treatment options.
Intersect Follows Leaders In ENT
Following the lead of ENT start-ups like Acclarent and Entellus Medical, Intersect ENT Inc. is introducing a line of stent like implants capable of performing the same role drug-eluting stents played in interventional cardiology. Intersect’s implants provide moderate structural support to tissue that has been cut or dilated through FESS or balloon sinuplasty. But the principal function of the implant isn’t propping open nasal passageways but rather delivering drugs. A trio of clinical studies conducted by the company has found the released steroids produced statistically significant reductions in inflammation, polyp formation, and postoperative adhesions.