Sleep Apnea: Medtech's High-Growth Sleeper
Executive Summary
(Please see Start-Up, March 2008, for an expanded version of this article). Although the patient population is woefully undiagnosed, approximately 38 million in the US alone suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. There are a number of new technologies in development to improve on surgery and CPAP--traditional treatments for this silent killer--and device makers are casting about for wider markets in which to sell their goods. At its current rate of penetration, OSA will create close to a $3 billion worldwide market within two years.
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Apnex Medical Inc.
Apnex Medical is developing a tiny device that it thinks could become an enormous game changer in the bid to better treat obstructive sleep apnea. The technology is similar to a pacemaker in both size and concept. But instead of the heart, the device stimulates the musculature of the upper airway at the base of the tongue - the genioglossus - via the hypoglossal nerve. In obstructive sleep apnea, the muscle doesn't always activate sufficiently, which can lead to a collapsed airway.
Market & Industry Briefs
Brief summaries of recent medtech market and industry developments. This month we cover secondary buyers as an exit strategy for Boston Scientific and others; a review of medtech dealmaking in the first quarter of 2008, and US markets for patient monitoring products.
Market & Industry Briefs
Brief summaries of recent medtech market and industry developments. This month we cover secondary buyers as an exit strategy for Boston Scientific and others; a review of medtech dealmaking in the first quarter of 2008, and US markets for patient monitoring products.