Business Week - EMR a "Silicon Valley Gold Mine"

This Business Week article  details    what it calls the new "Silicon Valley Gold Rush" -EMR

It's an interesting take on the subject.  Kalorama has in many versions of our EMR report (we have been reporting yearly on electronic medical records markets since 2007) said that there is opportunity for new players - no one company has leadership.  There are large concerns involved here - Dell, WalMart, even ADP has jumped in recently.  But physicians and group practices buy individually and there's no clear favorite yet.  There is billions of dollars in the physician market. 

Having said that the larger market, almost 80% of the market Kalroama cites in its EMR market figure,  is in hospitals and there we see less of a 'gold rush' and more of a few key players in the industry - Cerner, GE Healthcare, Siemens dominant.  The only action that we see occurring in this multi-billion dollar marektis a few of the 5th, 6th and 7th position companies in the market like Epic or Allscripts may rise to top three and battle it out to become a larger player.  

HIV Testing Consent Relaxation - A Bid to Increase Volume

A Boston Globe article details how Massachusetts, one of the few states requiring a patient's written consent to perform an HIV test, is  considering dropping the requirement.  Such consent notices limit the amount of tests performed.  San Francisco eliminated the restriction in 2006 and saw testing increase from 13.5 per 1,000 patient visits to 18 tests per 1,000 patient visits. 

A proposal to change how people give consent for HIV tests has divided AIDS advocacy groups in Massachusetts and upset major medical organizations, stymieing legislators trying to bring the state into compliance with federal recommendations aimed at promoting more testing.

 

At issue is a bill that would drop Massachusetts’ requirement for specific written patient consent before a doctor tests for the AIDS virus - something 48 other states have done - and replace that with verbal consent. The measure would also require the physician note in the medical record the patient’s decision.

 Beckman Coulter, Becton Dickinson and Roche are among the companies producing HIV tests.

Pharma Technologist Article on Big Molecules

A PharmaTech Talk Blog  article on vaccines raises the point Kalorama Information often has - can these drugs be a replacement for lost patents.  From the article, which utilizes information from Kalorama's research.

Producing vaccines could be a key strategy for firms that have invested in biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. Market research firm Kalorama Information reported that the world market for preventative vaccines rose from $22.1 billion in 2009 to $25.3 billion in 2010. It predicts that the market will grow at a compound annual rate of 9.3% during the next five years, thanks partly to sales in emerging markets.
The vaccine market generally is regarded as having two components: adult products and pediatric products. The pediatric market is the bigger of the two—it accounts for more than half of the total market and is growing at a faster rate than the adult market, according to Kalorama.

The growth in pediatric vaccines could spur the development of new drug-delivery methods—another go-to strategy for drugmakers facing the patent cliff. Kalorama predicts that the market for needle-free drug delivery methods will grow at an average rate of 15.1% from 2011 through 2016, when it will be valued at roughly $6.2 billion. More and more children, and needlephobic adults, might benefit from products such as patches and pen injectors.

Needle-Based or Needle-Free The Choice Turns on Volume.

Cost per unit can crush the hopes of makers a new technology no matter how novel and how many features it has.   One example is RFID systems.  While their applications are myriad in healthcare, and revenues have grown, they remain expensive on  a per unit basis.  Outside of the high-need situations (like very expensive biologic drugs which can pay for the tag cost), a simple 2 D or 3D bar code will do. 

This article in Healthcare Finance News which cites Kalorama's needle-free  drug delivery system market numbers indicates the same dynamic with needle-free systems.  Their adoption, we think, will turn on decisions about cost per unit.  In high volume applications, needle-free provides savings over standard syringes.  But the initial cost of the needle-free is high.  Cheaper systems may be needed to continue growth in this category.  

Defibrillator Market Growth: MSNBC Cites Kalorama

MSNBC.com cites Kalorama Information's defibrillator market size estimate on a story about the danger of dead batteries in these devices.  We estimate a 1.5MM  sold, making it one of the fastest-selling devices.  This market is growing rapidly due to acceptance of this device as a safety item.  Two competitors seem to have a lock on the market, but the increasing need for these systems may allow other generic competitors entry.      The estimate was made in Kalorama Information's report on home care products.

Despite Concerns, Few Side Effects from Vaccines

As Kalorama has detailed in its market research reports,  resistance to vaccination is increasing, and this is a problem that pharmaceutical marketers and governments need to address.  The reason for the trend is fears about side effects, often promoted by organizations and websites of questionable authority.   The reality is that vaccines cause few side effects, especially considering the amount vaccinated, though proponents could do a better job getting that side of the story out.    The costs and consequences of not vaccinating populations, particularly children and the elderly, are great.  As our report indicates, vaccines may be victims of their own success allowing people to focus on cure instead of disease. 

Now some information that might help arm the pro-vaccine side.  The Institute of Medicine has conducted a complete survey of almost 1,000 research studies and concluded that vaccines are tied to very few and usually mild side effects. The expert panel examined 8 common vaccines: MMR, DTaP, varicella for chickenpox, influenza, hepatitis B, meningococcal, tetanus-containing vaccines and the HPV vaccine. 

The IOM determined the vaccines weren't tied to an increased risk of autism or Type 1 diabetes. Side effects did include high fevers, allergic reaction and seizures, but in most cases they subsided quickly.  

 

Small Players Like Chapel Hill Based Cempra: Solution for HAI Dearth?

 Given the difficulties Big Pharma is having with HAI treatments, as detailed in our Free White Paper,in terms of earning consistent revenue before their effectiveness and patents wear out, it may well be the small innovator companies that develop solutions.  This article covers Cempra's recent successful capital round for related to its drug TAKSTA, an oral medication designed to treat severely infected MRSA patients who require an oral formulation.  IV-intolerant patients may be candidates for their product. 

http://www.medcitynews.com/2011/08/antibacterials-pharma-cempra-raises-5m-lead-compound-targets-mrsa/?edition=pharmaceuticals