Inside This Issue: Neurovascular Intervention Top News Alerts: Product Updates, Deals & Financings Featured Topic: Neurovascular Devices Succeed in Tapping Stroke Market Where Drugs Have Failed Featured Company: Nfocus Neuromedical
Subscribe now to access over 30 articles covering developments in drugs, devices and diagnostics for the brain and nervous system. Market Highlights: Amyloid Hypothesis Takes a Beating, Cypress Keeps Buying
Eli Lilly halted trails of a Phase III lead, semagacestat, for Alzheimer's because the drug was causing more rapid deterioration of patients. It was the most advanced of the new class of drugs aimed at reducing the production of beta amyloid by inhibiting the enzyme gamma secretase. Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb and Elan have earlier stage gamma secretase inhibitors in development. Elan held co-promotion rights to semagacestat and expected royalties on sales. Elan also announced negative results from a Phase II trial of a beta amyloid aggregation inhibitor in development with Transition Therapeutics...
Neurovascular Devices Succeed in Tapping Stroke Market
In most neurotech markets, devices are the last line of defense. That is, they target the most difficult to treat drug resistant patients groups. In stroke, however, a different story is emerging. New drugs in development have failed time and again to show benefit. The only drug on the market, the clotbuster tPA, can only be used safely in about 5% of ischemic stroke patients. Devices, however, are making inroads.This article outlines neurovascular devices on the market well as promising treatments in development ...
NFocus: Shooting for Moon
NFocus Neuromedical is a small company developing treatments for aneurysms and vascular malformations of the brain. It was created from the merger of Cardiovasc and Acta Vascular by CEO Martin Dieck, who earlier co-founded Minimally Invasive Systems (MIS). Cardiovasc had developed a stent graft technology for coronary problems. "Having a background in neuro, I wanted to take it into a new direction where I saw the technology could have the biggest impact," he says. NFocus adapted the stent-graft, which essentially seals off the bulging aneurysm from the blood vessel, for large neck brain aneurysms...
