Business Monitor International strengthens its pharmaceutical and medtech portfolio with acquisition of Espicom Business Intelligence

Business Monitor International, leading provider of country risk, financial markets and industry research across global markets, has announced the acquisition of Espicom Business Intelligence in a move which signals BMI’s continuing commitment to deepening its presence in key market sectors.

London, UK, August 21 2012 – Business Monitor International (“BMI”) has announced the acquisition of Espicom Business Intelligence (“Espicom”), a UK-based company with a 30-year pedigree providing business intelligence on Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare and Therapeutics across global markets.  The acquisition reflects BMI’s commitment to deepening its market coverage of more than 20 industry verticals with specialist product and company intelligence. The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

The acquisition brings to BMI Espicom’s wide-range of information and business intelligence services for the global healthcare industries. In medical technology and devices, Espicom’s service features coverage of key operators in 70 country markets, proprietary 5-year forecasts, daily news on key technologies and critical management reports on areas such as advanced wound care, diagnostic products and market access. In pharmaceuticals, Espicom’s service features country-level data, therapeutics, generics and biosimilars markets coverage and specialized drug development database services.

BMI co-CEO Jonathan Feroze commented that “Espicom’s product and company level content, combined with BMI’s existing pharmaceuticals and healthcare coverage across 97 countries, will produce a holistic, market-leading offering”. Co-CEO Richard Londesborough added that “the acquisition of Espicom deepens our content portfolio in a highly strategic growth segment for BMI”.

Espicom founder and CEO Eric Wigart, added that “BMI is the ideal platform for bringing Espicom’s content to a wider audience.  Leveraging BMI’s global research, sales and account management capabilities will be a win-win for both companies”.

About Business Monitor International

Head-quartered in London, Business Monitor International (“BMI”) provides multinational corporations, financial institutions and government with integrated country risk, financial markets and industry research across 170 country markets and more than 20 industry verticals, with unrivalled coverage of emerging and frontier markets. Business Monitor Online, the company’s flagship online subscription service, features timely analysis, proprietary forecasts and risk ratings and rankings. Backed since 2009 by Spectrum Equity Investors, BMI has achieved rapid organic growth over the last decade, and now counts more than 400 of the Fortune Global 500 among its clients.

ENDS

Contacts

Matthew Brooks

Business Monitor International

·         mbrooks@businessmonitor.com

·         Tel: +44 (0)207 246 5117

Nigel Chivers

Espicom Business Intelligence

·         nigel_chivers@espicom.com

·         Tel: +44 (0)7793 211899

New report published – Cardiovascular Device Companies: Surveying the Global Competitive Landscape

This week sees the release of a new report published by Espicom Business Intelligence entitled Cardiovascular Device Companies – Surveying the global competitive landscape.

Whilst it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that the cardiovascular device market is a fast changing industry, it’s often very difficult to view these changes close up. It’s been seven years since we produced our first report focused on the Cardiovascular sector, and those changes keep on coming as we head towards 2013.

For a period of time, much of the focus was all about drug-eluting stents, and for a while at least the technology looked like fulfilling its potential. In truth, the technology has faced a perfect storm of bad news that has dogged its progress. First up, there was the pricing and cost-effective issue, then came subsequently panned EU data that suggested restenosis rates were just too high and last of all, this seemingly relentless worldwide recession came along and neatly priced potential customers out of the technology.

Last year came the unexpected news that continued declines in DES sales had persuaded Cordis to quit the industry. But it’s not all doom and gloom because the removal of a major competitor might actually reduce overcapacity in the sector. Technological improvements have come in the form of biodegradeable DESs and lessons have been learned in terms of product development and research.

The issue of reabsorbable DESs also features in the report overview section – a 14-page look at the regulatory climate in the US and in Europe. As Abbott stands poised to get marketing approval for its Absorb bioabsorbable vascular scaffold more than 18 months after European authorities gave its approval, we examine whether the FDA needs to more to bridge this gap or whether the EU system is just too quick for its own good.

It’s not just DESs that are the focus of attention. Edwards Lifesciences is also enjoying the fruits of long-term research and working its way through the somewhat unpredictable FDA pathway to get commercial release of its Sapien transcatheter heart valve. And boy, is the cash rolling in for the company in the US, where it dominates the market! Last year, transcatheter heart valve sales for Edwards jumped by over 60 per cent and now total US$334 million. That technology seems to have taken an age to get to the US market and some say the delay has effectively cost thousands of lives that could have been saved. Strong criticism indeed!

A detailed review of over 60 companies

This year the report has 60 companies that span the full breadth of the cardiovascular device field, ranging from cardiac rhythm management to interventional cardiology. Interestingly, after a long period of research and product fine tuning, the market for cardiac assist devices, such as ventricular assist devices, implantable heart replacement devices and other similar devices look to be approaching the first stage in the commercial endgame. The tell-tale sign is further consolidation within the industry and the focus on building a body of data to support the longevity of respective technologies.

One cannot also forget the rising profile of the renal denervation system, which represents a non-drug treatment option for hypertension. A reduction in systolic blood pressure, a function that underpins the technology, has cut incidents of stroke, heart disease and mortality. Most of the big players – including St Jude Medical and Medtronic – are working on significant trials of the devices, but it is also being driven by much smaller companies that want a slice of the action.

So there’s a lot to read – and a lot to take in and consider – about this year in our newly updated, and ever changing Cardiovascular Device Companies – Surveying the global competitive landscape report.

For more information regarding this report visit www.espicom.com/cdev

Welcome back to the Medical Technology Blog. Today’s article comes from the Cardiovascular Device Business Newsletter from Espicom Business Intelligence.

VentriPoint Diagnostics has met with the FDA to review its plans for the clinical trial and regulatory submission for the first application of the VMS heart analysis system for the congenital heart disease known as Tetralogy of Fallot. The FDA informed the company it had answered all its questions and addressed all of the earlier observations pertaining to the trial, paving the way for the start of the trial in the US.

The Tetralogy of Fallot study has begun in the US and is designed to show substantial equivalency between the gold-standard, MRI method and VentriPoint’s 2D-ultrasound, VMS technique. Based on advice from the FDA, the study has been designed to collect images at multiple sites and to analyse them in core labs. Nationwide Hospital in Columbus, OH is the lead centre for the study and the University of Nebraska has been named as a second site. A number of other clinical sites are expected to join the study. Nationwide Hospital has also been selected as the core lab for the analysis of MRI studies and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada has been selected to carry out all the analyses of the studies.

To date, 20 patients have been enrolled in the study and a total of 75 evaluable cases are required for study completion. VentriPoint anticipates enrolment will accelerate as the other centres become operational. The data collection should be completed this spring and a response from the FDA is anticipated this summer, depending on the rate or recruitment by existing and new centres.

VentriPoint estimates the market for product for Tetralogy of Fallot to be US$200 million and is already marketing the device in Europe and Canada, where it is approved for clinical use. The company has a target of placing 50 VMS devices in 2012 and anticipates that sales will increase rapidly during 2012 should FDA approval for Tetralogy of Fallow is achieved and approval for pulmonary hypertension is received in Europe and Canada.

The pulmonary arterial hypertension application is expected to over lap with the US congenital heart disease programme. A clinical evaluation of the pulmonary arterial hypertension application has already begun at the University of Chicago. This should be complete in a few weeks and, if successful, VentriPonit will use the data to file for CE mark and Canadian approval marketing applications. A number of medical centres have agreed to be part of this pivotal trial. Based on experience with the Tetralogy of Fallot trial, the company has already started the IRB and budget-approval processes with these major cardiovascular centres, as this is the most time-consuming part of the process. The sites will be selected shortly and will become operational as soon as possible.

Much of 2011 has been spent upgrading both hardware and software based on the feedback from the users and developing new applications such as pulmonary hypertension. The latest software, version 1.1, is completed and undergoing final testing. The major hardware feature expansion is the ability to interface with the newer digital ultrasound machines, which the company says is likely to  take over the market in the next five years. A key software enhancement is the ability to export VMS studies to the hospital PACS, enabling third party DICOM viewers to review the VMS results. Existing sites will be updated remotely with the new version as soon as it has been released for general use.

Looking ahead, VentriPoint is actively seeking partnerships with large manufacturers of ultrasound equipment for combination products and distribution. The company says there is considerable interest in developing a stand-alone system for pulmonary hypertension, as this would be a completely new application for ultrasound.

Article source: Lawrence Miller, editor Cardiovascular Device Business, and medical newsletters team leader at Espicom Business Intelligence

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Hi and welcome back to The Medical Technology Blog.

A short announcement today just to say that we now have a new addition to the blog, which are the Medical Market Focus pages.

The Medical Market Focus tab provides a short introduction to the global medical market reports provided by Espicom Business Inteligence, and if you hover your cursor over the tab, a drop-down menu shows you the current medical device market country profiles featured this month.

This months feature profiles;

• Brazil medical device market

• China medical device market

• Egypt medical device marlet

• Greece medical device market

• Italy medical device market

Please let me know if you have a specific country you would like to see featured.

Thanks, Paul

In the light of recent world developments, Espicom Business Intelligence has just released a new report entitled The Libyan Medical Market: Status & Post-Conflict Opportunities. This report has been compiled from novel forecasts and original materials to give a complete overview of the Libyan health market. Together with the fall of the Gaddafi regime as well as the expected introduction of a more open-handed democratic government, it is time to scrutinize Libya’s medical market economy in the region, examine the way it may develop, and assess the impacts for medical technology companies.

Libya is a small but oil-rich country in North Africa. Under the personal rule of Muammar Gaddafi from 1969 to 2011, it developed an eccentric mixture of socialism and Islam. The country was largely isolated from the international community due to its terrorist links, although Gaddafi made concerted and largely successful moves to re-engage with the West in the 2001-10 period.

2011 saw a bloody but ultimately successful rebellion against Gaddafi’s rule, caused by declining living standards over the past two years, and inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings in neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Tunisia. Aided by NATO airpower, anti-Gaddafi forces based in Libya’s second city, Benghazi, were able to take Tripoli in August 2011, and the whole country by October.

Libya’s oil wealth has enabled it to create a reasonably comprehensive healthcare system, but spending remains low in comparison with other oil-rich countries of comparable income such as Saudi Arabia. There is therefore considerable scope for expansion and modernisation in the future. There is no private insurance as such, so local people are largely reliant on the public hospital system. There is a well-equipped private sector, which caters for wealthier locals and workers in the oil industry.

The 2011 fighting has caused serious dislocation in the health sector, at the same time as placing great strains upon it. Some facilities have been directly damaged, while others have faced shortages of power, equipment, supplies and personnel. Most services have remained open, however, and the transitional council in Benghazi established a health ministry early on, in order to restore some normality. Shortages have become far less acute in the latter part of 2011, helped by short term overseas aid and the unlocking of public funds for use by the transitional government.

Libya makes some drugs locally, but has no significant domestic production of medical equipment, so all its requirements have to be met by imports. These were boosted by the thawing of relations with the EU and USA in 2003-04, since when direct trade became far easier. Imports peaked at just under US$200 million in 2009, but fell back in 2010 to US$146 million or US$22 per capita. Around three quarters is sourced from the EU, principally Germany and Italy. Despite the fall in 2010, Libya remains by some margin the leading African importer of medical equipment in per capita terms, ahead of larger economies such as South Africa or Egypt.

Understandably, the fighting in 2011 had a severe effect on the Libyan medical market. Imports shrank to almost nothing in the March to July period when trade became difficult, not least due to the freezing of government finance. With the fall of Tripoli in August and the death of Gaddafi in October, some much-needed stability has returned and a rapid rebound to pre-2011 levels of spending can be expected as the new government – and the private sector – restock and re-equip. Looking further forward, Libya has the opportunity to use its oil wealth to create a sophisticated and advanced health sector in the style of the Gulf states, assuming a degree of political will and ongoing political stability. The latter is far from a certainty, but the prospects appear far brighter post-Gaddafi than under his rule.

To purchase, or read more on this new report please click on the link to The Libyan Medical Market: Status & Post-Conflict Opportunities.

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Medical Futures to gain a slice of Canadian tramadol market through deal with Cipher

Medical Futures, a Canada-based pharma company, has signed a pact for Cipher Pharmaceuticals to distribute Durela in Canada. Patent-protected Durela is a once-a-day formulation of tramadol for the treatment of moderate- to moderately-severe chronic pain in adults. It was approved by Health Canada in August and has immediate- and extended-release properties.

As for the particulars of the distribution deal, Cipher will receive an upfront payment from Medical Futures of C$300,000, and could also be eligible for future payments, dependant on net sales milestones. Also, Cipher will get its hands on a double-digit royalty on new sales. Cipher has further responsibily for product supply and manufacturing, which will be taken care of by its supplier, Galephar Pharmaceutical Research.

Medical Futures’ CEO, Colin Campbell, says he is excited to offer Durela in Canada, believing that the product “strengthens and demonstrates [Cipher’s] commitment to providing top tier solutions to the Canadian market”. It appears Cipher is equally delighted with the deal, as it provides valuable royalty revenue to the company. Cipher also recently shook hands on a US$5.5 million US distribution deal for Durela with Vertical Pharmaceuticals, with the former set to receive a payment of US$1 million on the first commercial sale of the product.

With sales of over US$60 million in 2010, the seemingly robust Canadian tramadol market looks like a sure thing for both parties. Medical Futures plans to launch Durela in the first quarter of 2012.

Thanks to Sophie Bracken for this article, Sophie edits Espicom’s business publication Drug Delivery Insight.

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Introducing Espicom Business Intelligence

Our first video on Youtube;

Please check it out and leave a comment or if you’re in a good mood, give us a thumbs up!

Thanks, Paul.

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Synthes has bowed to intensive media speculation and confirmed that it is in talks with Johnson & Johnson over a possible takeover by the US healthcare giant.

Any deal to acquire Switzerland-based Synthes would represent one of the largest attempted by J&J since it lost out to Boston Scientific in the battle for control of Guidant. J&J is rumoured to be offering around US$20 billion to acquire Synthes, a major player in the spine and trauma markets. If J&J were to secure its target it would return the company’s DePuy business to the top spot in the worldwide orthopaedic market and ending Zimmer’s dominant position. A combined DePuy-Synthes unit could potentially be worth US$46 billion and boast strong positions in orthopaedic, spine, sports medicine and biologic products. Ironically, Zimmer itself went to the number one position by securing another Swiss company, Centerpulse, in 2003.

Since the beginning of the new year, it seems J&J has been looking for a big deal and was strongly linked with a US$11 billion approach for UK-based Smith & Nephew. The pharmaceutical/medical device giant can afford it as well, with around US$28 billion in cash lying in its balance sheet. Whilst it can clearly afford it, the company doesn’t tend to overpay with its purchases – a fact that appears to have been illustrated following the non-appearance of an offer for S&N – and will be hoping that rumours of a rival offer from Medtronic do not materialise.

So what makes Synthes such an attractive proposition to J&J? Although headquartered in Switzerland, the majority of Synthes’ 2010 sales (58 per cent) originate in North America and followed by Europe (23 per cent) and Asia-Pacific (12 per cent). The company increased its sales by 8 per cent to US$3.7 billion in 2010 and net earnings jumped 10 per cent to US$908 million. It has strong trauma and spine products, whilst DePuy’s expertise is particularly focused in hip and knee implant – which means the case for synergies and antitrust approval could also be strong.

Despite its size, J&J is under pressure to react to competition in its medical device fields, particularly within the cardiovascular market. The company’s once dominant position in drug-eluting stents has long been usurped by Boston Scientific, and competition from the likes of Abbott and Medtronic have bitten hard. Within orthopaedics, DePuy has been dogged by a series of recalls that are understood to have cost J&J nearly US$1 billion so far. The unit has also been hit with several lawsuits regarding its recalled ASR hip implant, with complaints rolling in on a weekly basis. Despite these woes, DePuy still upped its net sales during 2010 by 4 per cent to US$5.6 billion, highlighting the potential of orthopaedic products to achieve strong revenues and profit margins.

News that Synthes is even discussing a deal represents a rare opportunity to buy a company that has never really been touted as a bid target. The reason for this is that the company is majority-owned by its Chairman and guiding light, Hansjorg Wyss, and various Wyss-family controlled trusts so any bid will have to meet his approval to stand a chance of success. Switzerland also has complex minority shareholder rights – just ask Novartis after its protracted battle for Alcon – so although the talks are significant, a deal is not entirely certain.

J&J’s approach for Synthes could kickstart a further period of consolidation in the orthopaedic market or alternatively represent an albeit mighty dent. Below the big players, Wright Medical Group is in a bit of a bother having kicked out some its management team recently, whilst the question remains – will anybody make a move for S&N? The rather quiet cosy world of orthopaedics looks like waking from its slumber at last!

Thank you to Lawrence Miller for a great post, Lawrence is Epicom’s medical newsletters team leader, and also editor of the excellent publications Orthopaedic Business News and Medical Industry Week.

Thanks for reading, back in two weeks time, Paul.

In today’s post on the Medical Technology Blog,  is a list of Espicom’s most recent reports from July to the present day, I have included our Pharmaceutical reports as well in case there’s an area of interest for anyone, please click on the links below to be taken to the relevant report page;

Medical:

1. Global Advanced Wound Care Market to 2015 – Competitor Analysis *

2. Orthopaedics – Surveying the Global Orthopaedics Market Landscape *

3. Who’s Developing What in Cardiovascular Devices in 2010

4. Orthopaedic Markets in Western Europe 2010

5. The Global Market for Orthobiologic Products

6. The African Medical Device Market: Facts and Figures 2010

7. Effectively Selling Medical Equipment in Western Europe

8. The World Medical Markets Fact Book 2010

9. World Medical Market Forecasts to 2015

10. All Change in the Coronary Stent Market

* Denotes latest reports

Pharmaceutical:

1. Global Biosimilars: Identifying 2nd Generation Opportunities *

2. Drug Delivery – Surveying the Global Competitive Landscape *

3. Pharmaceutical Companies Performance Tables 2010 *

4. Cancer Drug Blockbusters – Prospects & Challenges for Cancer Drugs

5. Multiple Sclerosis Drug Discoveries – What the Future Holds

6. Epigenetics – Current & Future Applications

7. MRSA Drug Futures

8. Biomarkers – Applications & Trends

9. The World Pharmaceutical Markets Fact Book 2010

10. Lung Cancer: Global Incidence, Prevalence and Mortality to 2015

11. The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry 2010: Strategies in a Changing World

* Denotes latest reports

Thanks for reading, Paul Espicom Business Intelligence.

Do you have a medical technology subject or device that you would  like a report or article written for? If so contact me directly at paul_hoff@espicom.com

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