Life Science Today

Life Science Today 025 – COVID, ERT & Bioclinica, Philips & BioTelemetry, AR Surgery

December 21, 2020 Noah Goodson, PhD Season 1 Episode 25
Life Science Today
Life Science Today 025 – COVID, ERT & Bioclinica, Philips & BioTelemetry, AR Surgery
Show Notes Transcript

Originally Published as The Niche Podcast

COVID updates, ERT & Bioclinica merge, Philips acquires BioTelemetry, and augmented reality surgeries.

 

Sponsors
https://www.thescopemethod.com


Story References
https://www.ellumehealth.com/2020/12/15/fda-authorizes-ellume-covid-19-home-test-as-first-over-the-counter-fully-at-home-diagnostic-test/
Wang et al., 2019 - https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.9b00657
https://www.ert.com/featured-news/ert-and-bioclinica-to-merge-creating-a-global-leader-in-clinical-trial-endpoint-technology/
https://www.philips.com/a-w/about/news/archive/standard/news/press/2020/20201218-philips-to-become-a-global-leader-in-patient-care-management-solutions-for-the-hospital-and-the-home-through-the-acquisition-of-biotelemetry-inc.html
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seeing-is-believing-hospital-for-special-surgery-first-in-us-to-use-augmented-reality-platform-for-knee-replacement-301195275.html


Music by Luke Goodson
https://www.soundcloud.com/lukegoodson

Life Science Today is your source for stories, insights, and trends across the life science industry. Expect weekly highlights about new technologies, pharmaceutical mergers and acquisitions, news about the moves of venture capital and private equity, and how the stock market responds to biotech IPOs. Life Science Today also explores trends around clinical research, including the evolving patterns that determine how drugs and therapies are developed and approved. It’s news, with a dash of perspective, focused on the life science industry.

Introduction

Welcome to The Niche Podcast – Your weekly rundown of the biotech, clinical research, and life science industries. I’m your host, Dr. Noah Goodson. This week, COVID updates, ERT & Bioclinica merge, Philips acquires BioTelemetry, and augmented reality surgeries.


COVID Updates

We predicted that Moderna would see their vaccine approved this week and right on schedule that FDA has given them emergency use authorization. That puts two mRNA vaccines out there in the United States. Based on the numbers, it doesn’t look like anyone but frontline workers will be getting much access till late January. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require two separate doses 21 and 28 days apart, respectively. This means that if 2 million doses are delivered, only half that many people get vaccinated.

It will be some time before the United States has sufficient vaccination rates to begin meaningfully combating the spread of this disease. However, other key developments in healthcare will help including a variety of treatments still in trials and refinements in contact tracing and testing.

We spoke last week about Everlywell and their at-home COVID19 test, but that, like others on the market requires taking a sample at home, then mailing it to a lab. Last week, the FDA approved a kit by Ellume Health. Like other at-home test kits Ellume ships the product right to your door to take at your convenience. That’s where the similarities shift. Ellume uses a small analyzing device which utilizes fluorescent nano particles in a miniaturized quantum-dot based lateral flow schema. By the way, this is a very very cool technology – check out the Wang et al 2019 paper in our references to learn more. In simple terms, this creates a test with high sensitivity and specificity that works from the comfort of your own home. It also transmits the results directly to an app on your phone within 15 minutes. Swab your nose, stick it in the analyzer, check the app on your phone. I could not find the kit for sale at the time of this recording, but Ellume likely has a manufacturing and distribution pipeline in place that just isn’t up and running yet.


ERT and Bioclinica Announce Merger

eResearchTechnology (ERT) has had a tumultuous year; ransomware attacks, CEO transitions, and changes in the CRO space due to COVID19. However, through the challenges, ERT has managed to ink critical deals, including one with the virtual trials company Science 37, while maintaining partnerships with big names like IQVIA and Bristol Myers Squibb. Last week, they announced a merger with Bioclinica. Both companies are effectively digital vendors for the clinical research space, and the merger sees a consolidation of their offerings. ERT primarily brings end-point data solutions for trial design and implementation while Bioclinica brings a strong background in medical imaging and cardiac safety. The combined company will offer a suit of solutions for trial design, optimization, and analysis. 

Both companies have historically presented a “we can also do that” brand. It seems probable they will double down on this type of ‘cures-what-ails-ya’ vendor model providing highly diversified solutions, but with specific expertise in trials using imaging or cardiology. I expect a more unified vision to be presented in sometime Q1 of 2021.


Sponsor

The Niche is brought to you today by The Scope Method LLC. The Scope Method helps companies develop clear vision and strategic processes; Whether you need fresh eyes on your data, independent risk assessment, or are pivoting into a new therapeutic space. The Scope Method will help you focus close to re-examine what you know and look ahead to where you want to go. Find out more at thescopemethod.com


Philips Acquires BioTelemetry

Philips has acquired BioTelemetry in a $2.8 billion cash deal and is planning to take the lead on patient management solutions. Philips has a suit of solutions for hospitals managing patients. BioTelemetry provides significant outpatient cardiac monitoring services. The merger will see Philips make forays into a combined in-patient/out-patient global monitoring and management system. The acquisition is probably a win-win for Philips. First, BioTelemetry had $439 million in sales in 2019, suggesting Philips did not overpay in terms of brand value. But it is also a forward-looking acquisition. Brands know the future of healthcare will be more dispersed and more digitized. While centralized hospital hubs will remain a reality, digital monitoring and distance interactions between providers and patients are here to stay. BioTelemtry’s remote cardiac monitoring represents a fraction of what this market will eventually look like. By integrating necessities like device monitoring into their model, Philips creates an opportunity to wrap small physicians and outpatient networks into their broader patient-management platform. Taken together, this likely represents a solid mid and long-term investment, providing what Philips refers to in precise vagaries as “portfolio innovation synergies.”


Augmented Reality Surgery

If you worked in silicone valley in the last 5 years, you’ve probably heard about how augmented reality (AR) is going to transform every aspect of human interactions. For most of us, these life changing innovations mean we can now text Memoji’s. Overhype aside, AR has been steadily developed in several areas of medicine and some innovative solutions are now emerging. The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York has recently performed the first AR knee replacement surgery. The technology provided by NextAR TKA was cleared by the FDA and July. A preoperative CT scan is performed and can be manipulated in a software solution to plan the surgery. The physician can then wear specific glasses which superimpose the CT scan over the surgery area, allowing them to see both the external reality and the “augmented” reality. In the past, surgeons would look back and forth between a screen and the site of surgery. Based on the visuals I can find, this isn’t quite the SciFi scan where information pops up around the wound, but it is a step in that direction. The goal is that improved visuals aid in the proper and efficient placement of implants during knee replacement surgery. It’s not clear if NextAR will take off, but the idea of using AR in surgery will continue to be refined and implemented in creative ways in years to come. 


Closing Credits

Thanks for joining me on The Niche Podcast; your weekly summary of top news in the biotech, clinical trials, and life science industries. You can learn more at thenichepod.com or find us on your favorite podcast app. Like, comment, subscribe, and most of all share with your friends. If you like what you hear, please rate and review, it really helps us. Once again, I’m Dr. Noah Goodson, I’ll see you next week.