The timing of the news could not have been worse. In January, just a few days before the health care industry was set to meet at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, renal denervation – one of the highest profile sectors in medtech – imploded on news that Medtronic PLC’s Symplicity hypertension device didn’t perform well in clinical studies. The news was a kick in the face to an investment sector already on its hands and knees. (See Also see "SYMPLICITY Results Make Life Difficult For Renal Denervation Programs" - In Vivo, 24 January, 2014..) Dissemination of the disappointing trial results happened to coincide with the meteoric post-IPO performance of Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc., yet another success story that just highlighted the differences between the medtech and biopharmaceutical sectors.
Eight Things That Will Fix Medtech Investing
The last five years have been brutal ones for medical device VCs and entrepreneurs, yet there’s still cause for hope. In a series of interviews, we asked venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and executives: what gives you hope and what makes you optimistic about the future of medtech?