Articulinx Inc.

Article preview from Start-Up - September 1, 2011

Osteoarthritis affects almost 21 million Americans aged 25 or older, and is most prevalent in the hand. The need for an alternative to long-term drug therapy for treating early stage hand OA is a vastly underserved market that Silicon Valley-based Articulinx Inc. hopes to address with its Intercarpometacarpal Cushion, a spacer device used to augment cartilage in the basal joint of the thumb.

Articulinx Inc.

Article preview from Start-Up - September 1, 2011

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, affecting almost 21 million Americans aged 25 or older, or slightly more than 12% of the population, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. OA is most prevalent in the hand, with roughly 20% of people over 55 having hand OA, and the condition afflicts one third of postmenopausal women. With the aging of the baby boomer population, these numbers will climb in the coming years. Other than treating pain and inflammation with long-term drug therapy that can cause health complications with chronic use, there are few options for early-stage OA patients nearing the end of their palliative care option but not yet ready for joint surgery or replacement. This huge and growing void is what Silicon Valley-based start-up Articulinx Inc. hopes to fill.

Articulinx was founded in 2007 by serial entrepreneur Michael Hogendijk to initially address the general need for a device-based treatment for early-stage OA, quickly zeroing in on extremities, in particular the hand, which is a vastly underserved market. Hogendijk has started or been involved with many companies across the device space over the course of 25 years, including NovoStent, San Francisco Science, EndoTex Interventional Systems (Boston Scientific Corp.), Corvascular, ArteriA Medical Science, Advanced Cardiovascular Systems (Abbott Laboratories Inc.) and Unisurge. Following his stint at NovoStent, Hogendijk began planning his next venture, and he had a number of ideas. In early 2007, he met with Mike Orth, a long-time friend and colleague with over 25 years of device industry experience, and based on those discussions Hogendijk decided to focus his new device company on early-stage OA.

Continued...

To read this article in its entirety, Purchase now as a PDF and receive it immediately via email. Or get it FREE when you subscribe to Start-Up.

About Start-Up

No publication reviews leading edge companies and technology better than START-UP. Each issue of START-UP profiles the most important new product companies, identifies the hottest technology areas, reviews funds flowing into private companies and investment trends, and reports on university tech transfer licensing. Industries covered: pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical equipment & devices, and in vitro diagnostics.

Plus:
To find out about more about more about Elsevier Business Intelligence's medical device publications and databases, multi-user access and/or advertising with Medical Devices Today, please contact Kristy Kennedy at (480) 985-9512