Four out of five health and medical sector companies are confident of their prospects over the next six months, with strong current profits driving their optimism, a new survey of SMEs has found.

New research from Santander Corporate Banking, conducted online among 1,049 SMEs in August 2009, reveals that 83% of health and medical firms are confident in their prospects during the remainder of 2009, compared to a national average of 75%. One in five firms (20%) are ‘very confident’, 63% are ‘confident’ and 18% are ‘not very confident’.

Profitability is the leading factor in this confidence, with one in four company owners (25%) citing it as the most important indicator. It is closely followed by turnover (23%) and forward orders (12%).

The economic downturn has resulted in falling profits for twice as many businesses as those which enjoyed increased profits in the first half of 2009 (46% against 23%). In the health and medical sector, however, 51% saw a rise in profits and 23% a decrease, making it the most successful sector.

Health & Medical is among the five business sectors most confident of its prospects for the next six months. Financial Services, the 1980s business career of choice, is among the five least confident sectors.

Steve Pateman, Head of Santander Corporate Banking, said: “Our research indicates that the health and medical sector has recorded strong profits in the first six months and confidence is high. It is important that the banking sector supports these businesses and helps them to turn their confidence into profits.

“Banks need to learn from the downturn and build stronger relationships with their customers in order to provide solutions that will help their stability and growth.”

Data published by the DH shows that the waiting times for patients with hearing difficulties to receive a digital hearing aid has reached an all-time low.

Patients in England are now waiting 4.9 weeks on average from GP referral to treatment in direct-access audiology services. Three years ago, 47,000 people were waiting over a year for a hearing assessment before facing another wait for the fitting of a hearing aid.

In March 2008, the Department of Health committed to reducing waiting times for patients referred to audiology services.

Health Minister Mike O’Brien commented: “The NHS treats around 400,000 patients referred directly to audiology services every year and it is vital people across the country are able to access these services without delay.

“The use of new technology in the NHS and support from the Department of Health’s National Audiology Programme, which is promoting clinical innovation and new models of care, have played a key role in cutting waits in audiology services.”

“RNID welcomes the increasing numbers of people receiving their hearing aids within the 18-week waiting time standard,” said Jackie Ballard, Chief Executive of RNID (the Royal National Institute for the Deaf). “No-one should face an unnecessary delay to be provided with essential services and equipment that can dramatically improve their quality of life.”

Mike O’Brien

Smith & Nephew’s Advanced Wound Management division has launched two extensions to its Allevyn Ag range of dressings, designed to minimise the pain and wound trauma of dressing removal.

The new Allevyn Ag Gentle Border and Allevyn Ag Gentle combine the antimicrobial protection of silver with the gentleness of silicone and soft gel adhesives. They offer the key benefits of antimicrobial protection, minimal pain at dressing change and superior fluid management.

“The addition of these two new Allevyn Ag variants will undoubtedly add to the growing success of Allevyn and will enable us to maintain our position as the leading global brand within the foam dressings market,” commented Roger Teasdale, President, Smith & Nephew Advanced Wound Management. “We will be the first company to offer an adhesive bordered silicone silver product which combines the benefits of silver and silicone gel technology.” The new dressings, he said, “offer additional benefits and choice to our customers and will continue to improve the quality of life for patients living with a wound.”

Following their recent US launch, the new dressings were described by clinician Paula Kotz of E.T. Consultant Services Inc. as “An innovative new dressing which provides antimicrobial protection, as well as the ability to remove and re-apply without disruption of the wound base, which is suitable for many types of wounds, especially skin tears.”

For more details, visit www.smith-nephew.com.

Allevyn Ag Gentle

Medtronic, Inc. has launched a new technology designed to protect people with type 1 diabetes against the risks associated with hypoglycaemia.

The Paradigm Veo, now available across Europe, can automatically suspend insulin delivery when the device senses that glucose levels have fallen below a user-selected threshold.

A common occurrence in type 1 diabetes management, hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) can cause loss of consciousness, seizure, coma or even death. A third of diabetes patients suffer from hypoglycaemia while asleep.

“The Paradigm Veo is the biggest step thus far in our commitment to closing the loop on diabetes management,” said Chris O’Connell, President of the Diabetes business and Senior Vice President at Medtronic. “We believe this automatic feature offers added protection, greater confidence and may lower the risk of injury associated with hypoglycaemic events.”

The Paradigm Veo System includes an insulin pump with a continuous glucose monitoring system provided by a sensor and transmitter. The patient uses readings from the monitor to program the insulin pump. If data transmitted from the sensor show the patient’s glucose levels have dropped below a defined threshold, the device alerts the patient. If the alerts are ignored, the device suspends insulin delivery.

“This latest technology is a significant breakthrough that will help people with diabetes to control their condition,” said Prof. Dr. Tadej Battelino, head of the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology at Ljubljana’s University Children’s Hospital. “For the first time, a mechanical device can now warn the patient of the risk of severe hypoglycemia.”

For more details, visit www.medtronic-diabetes.co.uk.

Paradigm Veo

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) supports the use of a new permanent contraception system in its updated guidance on female sterilisation.

The Adiana implant system from Hologic, Inc. received CE Mark approval in January 2009. It offers women a minimally-invasive, non-incision alternative to surgical sterilisation procedures.

The guidance concludes that safety and efficacy data support the use of the Adiana procedure by the NHS.

“This is an important milestone for Hologic and our GYN surgical products business in the UK,” said Tony Kingsley, Senior Vice President, GYN surgical products at Hologic. “With more than 50 NHS surgeons now trained to perform the Adiana procedure, the updated NICE guidance should further support our efforts to establish Hologic’s minimally-invasive, safe and effective Adiana system in the UK.”

The Adiana procedure can be performed in a GP surgery, using local anaesthesia. Patients are normally able to resume activity within a day. Surgical methods of permanent contraception, such as tubal ligation, generally require hospital admission, general anaesthesia and four to five days for recovery. As a result, they pose a significant risk of complications.

During the Adiana procedure, a flexible instrument is passed through natural body openings to deliver a low level of radiofrequency energy to a section of each fallopian tube. A soft insert, the size of a grain of rice, is then placed in each fallopian tube. Over the next three months, new tissue grows around the inserts, blocking the fallopian tubes. A final X-ray test confirms that the patient can rely on the implants for permanent contraception.

US-based Hologic, Inc. describes itself as ‘the women’s healthcare company’. For more details, visit www.hologic.com.

Representatives of two companies that regularly support or contribute to On Target – FLE Group and Marketing Medicine – have successfully completed this year’s BUPA Great North Run in aid of charities.

Louise Brooks, Sales Director, FLE Group completed the 13-mile race for NSPCC, and is on target to raise £350. Her site www.justgiving.com/nspcc-louise is still open for donations (however small). Louise said: “It was a great race, tremendous atmosphere and thank you to all friends, family and colleagues for their support.”

FLE Group is a consultancy offering medical sales and nurse recruitment, marketing advice and regulatory support.

Katy Draper, Director of Marketing Medicine also completed the Great North Run for Breast Cancer Care. Katie’s site www.justgiving.com/ladieswithsofttops is still open for donations. “A huge thank-you to everyone who has supported us, both in donations and also encouragement,” Katie said. “We had loads of messages of support at the start and it was just fantastic. Feel very privileged to have been able to do this and to raise money for such a good cause. Thanks again!”

Marketing Medicine is a marketing consultancy aimed specifically at healthcare companies that require additional resources or specialist advice.

Katy Draper

Independent Living Scotland 2009 (Glasgow SECC, 9–10 September), Scotland’s premier disability, homecare and rehabilitation show, featured products and equipment from over 120 exhibitors.

The event was officially opened by former Glasgow Rangers and England footballer Mark Hateley, who also visited many stands.

The show enabled healthcare professionals and members of the public to test and compare new products that assist independent living.

“Feedback from both visitors and exhibitors has been extremely positive and over 50% of exhibitors have already re-booked for Independent Living 2011, which is taking place 15–16 September at the Glasgow SECC,” said Event Manager Liz Virgo.

The diverse range of features available at the show included a Lifestyle Seminar and Demonstration Zone and a Health & Wellbeing Zone, where visitors had the opportunity to see the products in action and attend free informative sessions.

There were demonstrations by the Yoga, Health and Therapy Centre Scotland, which ran yoga sessions for adults, children and therapists. The Centre provides yoga therapy for children and adults with physical, medical, learning or other support needs, as well as outreach services.

Scotland’s health charities and organisations were also on hand to offer information and guidance to visitors.

Independent Living Scotland 2009

GE Healthcare is celebrating the tenth anniversary of digital mammography this month, which is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with a digital wall of personal stories about the fight against breast cancer.

The initial phase of GE Healthcare’s digital wall tells the stories of around 30 patients, fundraisers and medical professionals from around the world. The company hopes the wall will become a global platform for survivors, innovators and charities to share their stories and provide information on new technologies for the treatment of breast cancer.

“Our initiative shows that breast cancer is indiscriminate. It affects women, and also men, irrespective of their age, nationality and religion,” said Wendy Harris, Strategic Marketing Leader, Women’s Health at GE Healthcare. “We want people to get involved and share their story. Today, they can do that by clicking the ‘share’ icon on the wall and share their experience, knowledge and hope with others.

“I hope to see it grow rapidly in size to become a definitive hub for empowering stories: how survivors have fought and overcome the disease, as well as profiling the doctors and scientists who are working tirelessly – often behind the scenes.”

The site visitor can make a virtual journey around the world, finding out about (for example) a patient in Canada, a doctor in India and a rural breast scanning facility in Belgium.

In 1999, GE Healthcare was the first company to introduce full-field digital mammography. In the last decade, it estimates, more than 20 million women have benefited from its imaging technologies worldwide.

Headquartered in the UK, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people worldwide.

To see the wall, visit www.breastcanceremotion.gehealthcare.com.

An American company is to supply treatment devices for female stress urinary incontinence to the NHS.

Minnesota-based American Medical Systems (AMS) has been contracted by the NHS Supply Chain to supply three female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) treatment devices.

The contract makes AMS’ Monarc Subfascial Hammock, MiniArc Single-Incision Sling and Sparc Sling System available to women treated in any NHS hospital in the North-West region supplied by the Normanton distribution centre in West Yorkshire.

“We are pleased to have our clinically proven products, Monarc, MiniArc and Sparc, included in this tender,” said Anthony Bihl, President and CEO of AMS. “Our Monarc device is one of the leading transobturator slings on the market, bringing relief to women around the world who suffer from SUI.”

AMS’ portfolio of female SUI treatment solutions restore urinary continence through minimally invasive procedures. More than 600,000 women worldwide have been implanted with Monarc, MiniArc or Sparc systems.

American Medical Systems supplies medical devices and therapies for male and female pelvic health: urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, prostate disorders, menorrhagia and other conditions. The company’s products were used to treat approximately 320,000 patients in 2008.

For more details, visit www.AmericanMedicalSystems.com.

Italian company Invatec has launched the Reef HP, a PTA balloon catheter for use in peripheral high-pressure dilatation procedures.

The shape retention properties of the balloon material make it ‘lesion-specific’, which assists in treating lesions caused by dialysis.

The availability of variable shaft lengths mean the Reef HP is suitable for both arteriovenous (AV) shunts and peripheral applications.

“The Reef HP is a robust and highly stable balloon, capable of counter-acting even the most severe arterial lesions, with minimal slippage and a high pressure threshold,” said Stefan Widensohler and Andrea Venturelli, co-founders of Invatec.

“It has a ‘lesion-specific’ design that is ideal for use in dialysis patients, whose AV shunts often create short, fibrous and hard-to-dilate lesions where the shunt is connected to the native vessel.”

The Reef HP balloon is made from Invatec’s proprietary Flexitec XF, a highly durable material that offers complete control during high-pressure procedures. It has strong shape retention properties, dilating resistive lesions effectively and with stability.

Invatec specialises in interventional products. For more details, visit www.invatec.com.