Stroke Devices: Innovation Drives Growth

Article preview from Start-Up - May, 2012

Innovation is driving double-digit growth in the neurointerventional device market as an increasing number of medical device manufacturers develop newer, more effective devices for treating acute ischemic stroke. As new, stent-like retrieval systems and other next-generation neurothrombectomy devices hit the US market in the next few years, competition in this sector will also heat up as manufacturers try to differentiate their devices and jockey for a piece of the market, which is projected to reach almost $70 million by 2015.

Stroke Devices: Innovation Drives Growth

Article preview from Start-Up - May, 2012

Neurointerventional solutions for treating and preventing stroke continue to gain momentum, and several device-based treatments received a boost from new research presented at this year’s International Stroke Conference (ISC), held in New Orleans in February. Some of the most compelling data presented at ISC 2012 centered on the evolving field of neurothrombectomy devices, which are emerging as an exciting new therapeutic option for patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Such devices, which aim to quickly restore blood flow in cerebral arteries blocked by a clot, not only have the potential to greatly improve patient outcomes, but they may also expand the stroke treatment window well beyond what can be achieved with thrombolytic drugs alone.

It seems almost every medical device manufacturer in the neurovascular space is developing some variation of the “stentriever,” a next-generation mechanical thrombectomy device designed to quickly open blocked arteries in the brain using a retrievable stent that both restores blood flow and removes thrombus in AIS patients. Until recently, only two mechanical thrombectomy devices were US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for use in AIS: the MERCI Retrieval System (Concentric Medical Inc./Stryker Corp.) and the Penumbra System (Penumbra Inc.). But initial data on the newer stentriever devices have been very promising, and many predict once these devices become available for widespread use they will eclipse the first-generation MERCI and Penumbra systems, drive growth in the neurointerventional market, and become the new standard of care for AIS.

For companies developing neurothrombectomy devices, the challenge is to avoid the “me too” device trap and to differentiate their devices in terms of effectiveness in removing clots, ease of use, time to cannulation, and patient outcomes. Even so, there is a significant unmet clinical need for more effective stroke treatments, and the next generation of neurothrombectomy devices to reach the market will surely find a receptive audience in stroke physicians clamoring to add new tools to their treatment armamentarium.

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