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What Matters: September's MedTech News You Need to Know

Overheard at GMM HQ

"When the patient is in the driver's seat, you have to give them a map to your door."– Deanna Garner on the value of Web Forms for qualifying leads.Read more in our latest blog

WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS BUZZING ABOUT

FORMAT -> LAYOUT -> ADJUST MARGINS -> 2 MILLIMETERS

Three separate cancer research groups have joined forces and announced new surgical guidelines for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early stage breast cancer, calling for two mm margins and whole breast radiation.

GOOD THINGS COME IN PAIRS

The new guidelines have a "two-pronged goal to help physicians improve the quality of care they provide to women undergoing surgery for DCIS, and ultimately improve outcomes for those patients." Because when it comes to treating breast cancer, two prongs are better than one.

THE 411

Published concurrently in the Annals of Surgical Oncology, Practical Radiation Oncology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology, these new guidelines aim to decrease re-excision rates, improve cosmetic outcome and decrease healthcare costs. Uplifting outcomes to be sure.

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THERE'S AN APP A PATCH FOR THAT

L'Oreal is the latest player in the wearable medtech game, recently releasing "My UV Patch," a transparent, waterproof, stretchable, adhesive patch that measures sun exposure over a three-day period while worn. Hot on their heels is the latest skin-patch from Rogers's Research Group, which sources power from the wearer's nearby smartphone and has possible applications including fitness tracking and clinical health.

BUT THERE'S ALSO AN APP FOR THAT

The patch has a corresponding app, of course, that analyzes photosensitive dyes and alerts the wearer accordingly. Might we also suggest: B.S. detection, subpar latté alerts, and awkward small talk exit strategies.

THE 411

My UV Patch, available with Anthelios sunscreen products from La Roche-Posay (a L'Oreal subsidiary) is the first medtech product to give sunworshippers real-time info about their UV exposure... and possibly the latest tactic for getting out of a bad date. "Gotta go home, my patch says I've had enough."

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WELL NO ONE SAW THIS ONE COMING

And by "no one," we mean "everyone." Apple has officially entered the medtech market, after years (decades?) of speculation. GlaxoSmithKline launched a rheumatoid arthritis study that utilizes Apple's ResearchKit, a medical platform that turns an iPhone into a diagnostic tool but had yet to be tapped by any major pharma companies. Because there was still a sliver of our souls that we hadn't handed over to our phones just yet.

DOES MY IPHONE OFFICIALLY OWN ME NOW?

We'll let you (and your significant other) decide on that, but this new development does mean that countless iPhone users can now easily participate in clinical trials, having their real-time health data uploaded automatically to Apple's partners including Stanford, Oxford, and Mt. Sinai, making trials easier, faster, and more cost-effective.

THE 411

The development of partnerships between Apple and pharma/device companies stands to shape not just clinical trials, but practically the whole [Research]Kit and caboodle of wearable healthcare solutions. It was always a matter of time (particularly time told from an Apple Watch).

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GOOD TO KNOW

Whether you're following a gluten-free diet because you suffer from celiac disease or because Gwyneth Paltrow advised it, a new portable device can analyze a pea-sized sample of food and detect the slightest amounts of gluten. Now if they could just make a gluten-free beer that tastes great.





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