Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019, according to the World Health Organization. With AMR now seen as a top global health concern and COVID-19 still in recent memory, the challenge of overcoming infections appropriately and effectively exists in all areas of healthcare and beyond. This includes wound care, with SmartTRAK forecasting that the WW antimicrobial market will exceed $1.00B for the first time in 2024.

One company aiming to tackle the challenge in antimicrobial therapies is Swiss-based Polaroid Therapeutics. The company has developed a proprietary advanced polymer technology that is designed to reduce bio-burden in a variety of settings, including in wound management. SmartTRAK recently caught up with CEO and co-founder Ran Frenkel to discuss the journey that the company has been on. Click on the video below to listen to the interview (15:01 min). A link to download the transcript of the interview is also provided below.

SmartTRAK: This is Kris Flinn with SmartTRAK. Today, I'm joined by Ran Frenkel, CEO and co-founder of Polaroid Therapeutics. Polaroid Therapeutics is a Swiss-based biotech startup focused on the development of innovative antimicrobial technology. The company has developed a proprietary advanced polymer technology that is designed to reduce bio-burden in a variety of settings, including in wound management. Ran, thank you for joining us today. Could you please start by giving me some background on yourself?

Ran Frenkel: Hi, Kris. Thanks. Happy to be here. I'm a pharmacist by training. For the last 25 years, I have been working in the pharmaceutical industry in different kinds of management positions in drug discovery and drug development. For the last 11 years, I was the Chief Development Officer of an oncology company here in the US, where we developed a first-in-class new drug for blood cancers, which was approved in over 50 countries. For the last two years, nearly two years, I joined Polaroid Therapeutics, moving from the oncology space into more of the antibacterials and wound management space.

Fantastic. So, Polaroid is a name that many people will recognize, but could you tell me a little about Polaroid Therapeutics specifically and the journey that the company's been on?

RF: Yeah, and it's a very nice story because everyone is familiar with ...

It is difficult to make it as a small to midsize company in the Global Wound Care Market, which was painfully evident for a few Swedish companies in the fall of 2023. SmartTRAK looks at lessons learned and explains why the future is still bright.

Sweden is traditionally a great place to start a wound care company. Several established global leaders are based there, like Mölnlycke*, Essity* and Arjo*. They fund early-stage companies and act as a source of skilled personnel. Strong universities and leading pharma and medical device companies also contribute to a dynamic market.

In the fall of 2023, not one, not two, but three Swedish companies found themselves in deep trouble. RLS Global filed for bankruptcy, Promore Pharma was liquidated and S2Medical was under reconstruction. In this article, SmartTRAK looks deeper at those companies, what went wrong, and highlights a few startups embarking on the journey. Lessons learned are not limited to the Swedish market but apply everywhere.

The companies covered in detail in this comprehensive Market Perspective article, which can be downloaded in its entiretyhere, are:

• Companies in Trouble
  • RLS Global*
  • Promore Pharma*
  • S2Medical*
• Successful Startups
  • Abigo Medical*  
  • Absorbest*
• Other Startups
  • Amferia
  • Ilya Pharma
  • Colzyx 
  • PressCise
  • ViTri Medical*
  • Odinwell
  • Dermicus
  • Seber Medical

Although the fall of 2023 was challenging for a few companies, the future looks bright for Sweden to maintain its position as a strong generator of ...

* These links can only be accessed by SmartTRAK subscribers. To learn more            about SmartTRAK and how to subscribe, scroll down.

Adam Hattan, VP of marketing for Route 92 Medical, discusses the SUMMIT MAX trial and provides an update on the company and products in an interview with SmartTRAK.

Route 92 Medical (R92) is raising the bar and advancing the treatment of acute ischemic stroke through its 250-patient SUMMIT MAX clinical trial, the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of “super-bore” 0.088” aspiration catheters. The company recently announced enrollment is complete in SUMMIT MAX, which features the company’s Monopoint Reperfusion System, including the HiPoint 88 and HiPoint 70 Reperfusion Catheters and the Tenzing Catheters. HiPoint is currently approved by the FDA as an access catheter, but the company plans to submit the results of SUMMIT MAX to the FDA to obtain the NRY indication, which would allow physicians to use the device on label as an aspiration catheter.

For an update on R92, its products and what SUMMIT​ MAX means for the company and market, SmartTRAK interviewed Adam Hattan, R92’s vice president of marketing. Click on the video below to listen to the interview, recorded via Google Meet (19:48 min). A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

SmartTRAK experts across orthopedics, sports medicine, spine and enabling technology attended this year’s 2024 Canaccord Genuity Musculoskeletal and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual conferences. Held from February 12-15 in San Francisco, CA, these gatherings brought together the top minds in the industry. In this post, we share some key insights and updates gleaned from these conferences, offering a glimpse into the latest trends and innovations shaping the future of orthopedic and musculoskeletal care.

• MARKET

Maxx Orthopedics*
SmartTRAK learned at AAOS 2024 that Maxx Medical is going on the offensive to grow its joint replacement business in the US and that the Company plans to launch new hip and knee products in 2024.

Paragon 28*
At AAOS 2024, Paragon 28 noted that its supply chain issues have resolved and does not expect a headwind this year. As a result, Needham believes the company can return to ~20% revenue growth in 2024.

restor3d*
Restor3d reported it currently has 157 active distribution partners calling on ~22,965 orthopedic surgeons and ~18,000 podiatrists. Management noted surgeons will bring difficult cases and from there restor3d can create additional sales opportunities. CG 2024 Musculoskeletal Conference

• REVENUES

BONESUPPORT*
BONESUPPORT highlighted the continued strength of Cerament G in North America with approximate revenues of $17.0MM in Q323 since launching in June 2023. CG 2024 Musculoskeletal Conference

OrthAlign*
At AAOS 2024, SmartTRAK learned that OrthAlign’s 2023 revenue was up +25% to $51MM, led by strong adoption of its Lantern next-generation handheld navigation system and increasing use of the Balance gap balancing feature on Lantern Knee. The company noted +37% growth in the ASC setting.

SmartTRAK takes a look at the trends impacting the Extremities Market in 2024 and beyond.

Among the many topics covered in detail in this market outlook article are:

• CMS Reimbursement Changes Accelerate Shift to Arthroplasty Site-of-Care
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) move to reimburse shoulder replacement and ankle replacement in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) setting will accelerate the move of procedures to ... (read more)
  
  
• An Increase in Pricing Pressure from the Shift to Shoulder ASC Procedures
  The national average CMS facility reimbursement in 2024 for total shoulder arthroplasty in an ASC is approximately $14K, significantly lower than for hospital-based procedures in the range of ... (read more)
  
  
• The Race is on for Shoulder Robotics
  Stryker and Zimmer Biomet appear to be racing to the finish line to be the first to market in the US with a shoulder robotics solution. During Zimmer Biomet’s Q323 earnings call, CEO Ivan Tornos stated they plan to be first on ... (read more)

From OEM manufacturers getting dressings approved in the US to pressure injury prevention focus - SmartTRAK takes a closer look at what to keep an eye on in 2024.

SmartTRAK forecasts the WW Advanced Wound Dressing Market will grow at a 5-year CAGR of +5.2%. The market grew +5.2% in Q323 and +5.6% in the first three quarters of 2023. Advanced Wound Dressings is a market spread relatively evenly across geographies, with Europe currently representing a 44.1% share of the 2023 worldwide (WW) market, the US representing 27.9% and the ROW 28.0%.

Looking ahead, SmartTRAK sees three trends continuing in 2024. They are:

• Growing Use of OEM Manufacturers in the US
  In the US, most dressings require 510(k) clearance by the FDA. A strong trend in recent years is that original equipment manufacturer (OEM) providers have been getting their products approved for sale in the US and then ... (read more)
  
  
• Major Players Investing in Infrastructure
  Another trend of interest is more activity than usual from leading companies investing in infrastructure. SmartTRAK examines recent events and the potential drivers behind those decisions ... (read more)
  
  
• Growth in Dressings for Pressure Injury Prevention
  SmartTRAK expects the use of dressings for pressure injury prevention to be a key growth driver in the Advanced Wound Dressing Market in the coming years. The trend is supported by an increasing body of evidence indicating that ... (read more)
  

SmartTRAK has developed an in-depth analysis of the pressure injury prevention market, including the market size for the US, Europe, and the rest of the world (ROW), five-year forward forecasts, clinical and laboratory evidence, key drivers of market growth, and product technologies and claims. To find out more, please click here.

To download and read the complete "Advanced Wound Dressings: 2024 Market Outlook" by Lennart Stadler, SmartTRAK GM, OUS & Sr. Analyst, Wound and Anikó Szekér, SmartTRAK Sr. Analyst, Wound, just click the button below.