Women's Health: Too early or Too Late?
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
As an industry, women's health is in its infancy. It has yet to develop beyond a collection of niche specialties in reproductive medicine and breast cancer.
You may also be interested in...
In Brief January 2007
A brief summary of recent product developments in the device industry, including updates on Edwards Lifesciences, Cardiophonics, Boston Scientific. Also, short takes on the Pediatric Medical Device Safety and Improvement Act, and Annual Breast Cancer Screening.
Conceptus' Re-Birth: Surviving in Women's Health
The early-to-mid 1990s marked the rise of a huge wave of interest in women's health among device start-ups and investors. Several women's health companies, including Conceptus, were among the ill-fated IPO Class of 1996 that largely failed to meet investor expectations. Most of these start-ups are no longer around, but Conceptus re-trenched and shifted its emphasis from fertility to a new approach to sterilization, which finally received FDA clearance late last year. The company has survived the pitfalls that derailed other women's health start-ups, most notably a customer group that is difficult to access and slow to adopt new technology, and a challenging reimbursement environment, but in doing so, may be the exception that proves the rule.
Assurance Medical Inc.
Assurance Medical has created easy-to-use handheld electronic palpitation devices to help physicians and patients perform breast examinations with much higher sensitivity and consistency.