Overheard at GMM HQ
"What you do (or don't do) matters." - Holley Miller, on the importance of market development prior to FDA approval.
What the Industry Is Buzzing About
Paging Dr. Hannibal Lecter
A group of researchers has come up with a unique form of yarn made up of human skin cells that could soon replace conventional sutures in surgical procedures. Human textile (as the kids today like to call it) can be used for knitting, sewing, and crocheting damaged organs. This takes the meaning of “skin in the game” to a whole new level.
Why It Matters
The body has an uncanny ability to distinguish foreign materials from itself. This is problematic because most permanent synthetic biomaterials used today are recognized as such, which can lead to “foreign body reaction” upon implantation. Human yarn wouldn’t run the risk of causing a detrimental reaction from patients’ bodies and represents a new generation of completely biological tissue-engineered products. OK, that’s cool, not creepy.
The Latest War on Peanut Allergies
If you know a kid with a peanut allergy, you know that avoiding exposure entirely can drive a person (wait for it) nuts. Now there’s no need to be shell-shocked with constant fear. A new oral immunotherapy designed to lower the likelihood of severe allergic reactions to peanut products has recently been approved by the FDA.
Why It Matters
This is the first-ever drug to receive approval to treat a food allergy, potentially representing a new category of drugs as we see an increase in myriad types of food allergies over recent years. Peanut allergies alone affect 1.6 million U.S. children and teens. This new option for preventing severe reactions, including anaphylaxis, just might put the PB back in PB&J for them.
Stick It and Forget It
“Plug and play” used to be the holy grail in technology, but we’re out here living in 3020 with the new “stick it on and forget it” BioSticker for monitoring patient health. The recently FDA-approved, single-use, prescription wearable allows for the continuous remote monitoring of a patient’s vital signs, along with other parameters like activity levels, body position, and gait analysis. Multiple clinical use cases and applications could be possible, from providing a baseline pre-operative assessment to active remote monitoring of a patient during their post-surgical recovery and rehabilitation phase to unlock unique clinical insights to guide treatment plans and facilitate better health outcomes.
Why It Matters
This simple approach allows patients to be monitored in their homes for 30 days and recognizes early detection of adverse trending or conditions. This may reduce hospitalizations, ER visits and shorten hospital stays, creating cost efficiencies for health systems. Finally, something that makes providers, patients and payers happy, which ain't easy to do.
GOOD TO KNOW
When the surgeon and patient are NSYNC. #mindblown
