Ostomy care market is currently estimated
at $2 billion with about 1.5 million patients worldwide. Currently, about 90%
of the market share is captured by three key players – Coloplast, Convatec and
Hollister.
Ostomy care products revolve around ostomy
bags/pouches and skin barriers. The products come with the features such as
odour control, leakage, bag cleaning, adhesions and many more. This has been
working well for the industry for quite some time and I wonder if this is the
right time to think about alternative solutions as well.
One such solution has come from an Israel
based startup, Stimatix GI. The company has developed a device named Artificial
Ostomy Sphincter (AOS-1000™) that provides continence and bowel control to the
patient without the need to wear a traditional ostomy pouch. This device is
currently under clinical trials and expected to be launched in the market in
mid 2012. The company claims to bag 15% of the market share within the first
few years of commercialization.
This concept itself is not new. Artificial
sphincters have been successfully used for fecal incontinence. However, it was
difficult to replicate the same with stoma as there was the risk of ischemia
and necrosis of the intestinal wall because of excess pressure. Stimatix’s
device solves this problem by controlling the pressure exerted on the
intestinal wall using pressure gradients.
Stimatix is not the only one. Another small
firm, Zassi Medical (now Leto Medical) has been working on restoring bowel
evacuation control by artificial stoma sealing devices. Alternatively, they are
also looking at electrical and chemical stimulation of the intestinal
musculature for temporary continence.
Interestingly, one of the key players,
ConvaTec, also has a product in market which is on similar lines. The product,
Vitalla Continence Control device, enables the patients to be continent for
around 8 hours. The device uses pressurized chambers to avoid excess pressure
on intestinal wall.
These disruptive innovations are knocking
on the doors in Ostomy Care domain. It will be interesting to watch this space
in next 2-3 years. Will the big players
be interested at this stage or they will be in wait ‘n’ watch mode?