From Biodesign News
Ulthera team shares key to success at this year’s SBAA annual alumni event
This year’s SBAA annual alumni event featured a presentation by Ulthera, the Mesa, Arizona-based aesthetic therapeutic company, along with a dynamic panel consisting of Matt Likens (Ulthera CEO), Michael Peterson (Vice President, R&D), Justin Klein (NEA), and moderated by Alan Mendelson (Latham & Watkins). The jam packed event also consisted of a presentation by Jonathan Norris, Managing Director of Healthcare at Silicon Valley Bank, to provide a medtech investment update.
Ulthera’s signature technology is used in the Ultherapy procedure, which is FDA-cleared to lift skin above the eyebrow, on the neck and under the chin, as well as improve lines and wrinkles on the décolletage. The Ulthera System delivers micro-focused ultrasound energy at prescribed depths below the surface of the skin. It consists of a control unit & handpiece along with disposable transducers that provide recurring revenue.
Partner Post: ICInnovation – Where Israeli Medical Innovation Lives Online
The Innovations in Cardiovascular Interventions (ICI) Meeting, held in Israel every year, is an internationally renowned conference bringing together clinicians, researchers, and industry to provide a wide perspective on new technologies in the field of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery. Led by Prof. Chaim Lotan and Prof. Rafael Beyar, It is regularly attended by over 700 attendees from more than 40 countries. The next meeting will be held in Tel-Aviv at the David Intercontinental Hotel from Dec. 14-16.
Life Science On The Rebound, But Device Is A Little Flat
Despite frequent grumblings heard throughout our industry, the data show that the Life Science investing climate might not be as bad as we were all led to believe. In the July Silicon Valley Bank report “Continued Rebound: Trends in Life Science M&A”, by Jonathan Norris, it looks like Life Science “Big Exits” (upfront payment of at least $50MM device/$75MM biotech) are on the rise. SVB looked at private merger or acquisition transactions of U.S. venture-capital backed Life Science companies since 2005 and pointed to positive momentum in the life science industry and continued solid exit activity. Mr. Norris of SVB was nice enough to share additional figures along with his July report with Biodesign Alumni. Read more
How does the FDA affect you? Here’s why you should be concerned…
Recently, Josh Makower MD, Aabed Meer, an MD-MBA Candidate at Stanford, and Lyn Denend, a Research Associate also at Stanford published results of a survey that sought out to (1) investigate problems with medical device company interactions with the FDA and compare these interactions with those necessary for clearance in Europe, (2) assess perception of FDA versus European regulatory pathways from these companies, and (3) provide a quantitative measure of the time and cost to navigate the current FDA system.
The survey gathered data from 203 companies with 213 unique product submissions. The participating companies represent approximately 20% of medical device companies in the US. Read more
Pediatric Medical Device Innovation
“A paradox exists in pediatric healthcare: while tremendous philanthropy supports individual care, few new therapeutic devices/tools are ever developed specifically for pediatric patients. The impediments are profound- pediatric markets are small and poorly funded, and regulatory hurdles are high. These impediments notwithstanding, such new products would improve the lives of many children. Thus, there is compelling need to discover and develop new ways to build businesses that mitigate these risks. The Pediatric Idea Campaign, nurtured by The Kauffman Foundation and Lucile Packard Foundation for Childrens Health, may provide a model to do just that” – Thomas Krummel MD
Kevin Chao MD and I have recently launched an idea campaign is intended to bring physicians, care providers, parents, patients and innovators together in a collaborative environment. Read more
Hello from the Biodesign Alumni President
Thanks for visiting our new site. If you would like to learn more about the Stanford Biodesign Alumni please contact me at bma449@yahoo.com.
Best, Evan
Biodesign Alumni 