19 / 40
19
Stimulation Systems), which provides technological
solutions for patients suffering from paralysis due to
neurological disorders. The company has also made an
investment in Impulse Dynamics- a developer of an active
implant to treat chronic heart failure.
Boston Scientific acquired Mel – Medical Enterprises
Group, which develops minimally invasive therapies for
the treatment of cancer with a flagship product that
induces remission and reduces recurrences of cancer of
the bladder. Boston Scientific has also invested in Sightline,
which specializes in the design and development of
medical endoscopic systems,. In addition, Boston Scientific
invested in BrainsGate that is developing an implantable
neuromodulator to treat brain tumors and other
neurological disorders and in VisionCare Ophthalmic that
has developed an implantable telescope to treat the dry
form of Age Related Macular Degeneration.
Guidant Technologies acquired X-Technologies in 2003
for about $150 million. X-Technologies, founded in 1999,
has developed a pull wire for use with catheters in balloon
angioplasty, which effectively treats artery narrowing.
Kodak Health acquired Orex Computed Radiography. Orex
is developing, manufacturing and marketing low cost
computerized radiography products, based on innovative
phosphor plates. The technology captures X-ray images
digitally, eliminating the need for film development
processing.
Examples of IPOs in addition to Given Imaging include
Card Guard, traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange, which
has developed advanced telemedicine software and
monitoring equipment for high-risk and chronically ill
patients, and Oridion Medical, also traded on the Swiss
Stock Exchange, develops and manufactures breath-test
analyzers, which can detect cancers and ulcers.
Real-Time Objective Measurement
Israel is a world leader in medical IT and Aerotel is a
world leader in modular, mobile telemedicine devices,
while Neurotrax Israel has developed Mindstreams which
provides physicians with real-time objective measurement
of cognitive functioning. Tadiran LifeCare, a business unit
of Israeli-based wireless communications company Tadiran
Spectralink, has developed a series of cellular-based wrist-
wearable mobile monitoring devices.
Promising young companies include BioControl, which was
founded in 1999, and has developed active implantable
Medical devices sector in Israel constitutes a fast growing
global market with innovative devices providing
breakthroughs in earlier and better diagnoses and medical
treatments that bring clinical benefits to patients