More than 150, 000 visitors are expected to attend MEDICA, the largest expo of medical devices and computerization in the world, which is held later this month in Dusseldorf, Germany. The expo will feature more than 5, 000 companies from over 100 countries.
This would be the tenth time the Israel Export Institute’s pavilion, which is operated in conjunction with the Economy and Industry Ministry’s Foreign Trade Administration, is participating in the expo. It is
This year, the pavilion will include a record number of 62 Israeli companies, engaged in various fields such as cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, tele-medicine, and more. Also participating are secondary manufacturers for the medical equipment and computerization industry, who are working in design, development, and product engineering.
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According to the director of the Israel Export Institute’s Medical Equipment and Computerization Department, Tomer Epstein, the Israeli presence at MEDICA will actually consist of pavilions in four locations, each dedicated to a different area of medicine.
“Our job in practice is to manage the pavilions, collect marketing materials, translate them into seven languages, and distribute them to the relevant parties from every corner of the globe, ” Epstein said.
“An inseparable part of our work consists of coordinating meetings ahead of time that would take place during the expo. The matching of the Israeli companies with potential customers and other interested parties depends on the nature of the Israeli company and its marketing strategy. Based on this, we set up meetings with potential distributors and strategic partners, and we help open doors for the Israeli companies to do business with relevant parties from all over the world, ” he added.
Is Israel considered a leader in the field of computerized medicine?
“Absolutely. We are the leaders in technological medical innovation. We offer a variety of solutions, we identify the needs at hospitals and universities, and even from personal experience, and these are translated into useful, functional technological developments.”
Do these medical developments make their way into the Israeli healthcare system?
“The companies tend to aim at the global market, because the Israeli market is considered relatively small. Still, a significant portion of the customers of these Israeli companies’ are Israeli hospitals, HMOs, and rehabilitation centers.”
Here are some of the Israeli companies that will present their wares at the expo.
Pangolin Medical Ltd.
Year established: 2012
Location: Ein Carmel
No. of employees: 3
Pangolin Medical is a recent start-up which is developing a model of the heart and blood vessels that would help medical professionals prepare for medical procedures for each individual patients.
The simulated heart is made of a clear, flexible material that can be catheterized. It is constructed based on the CT data of actual patients.
Doctors can practice the catheterization of the patient they have yet to meet on the model and thus raise the chance of the procedure’s success.
Pangolin Medical sells its models to start-ups on the Israeli and international markets, and is working on further medical developments with Israeli hospitals.
Ohad Shafran, CEO and company founder, described the company’s vision in a conversation with Ynet: “Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.’ We operate on the same principle. Instead of having the catheterizing doctor showing up and asking him- or herself what tools to use or how to work through this blood vessel or the other, he or she will practice on our model and operate in real time only after being properly prepared.”
Salute Ltd.
Year established: 2015
Location: Be’er Yaakov
No. of employees: 4
Salute has developed an innovative, effective rehabilitative product to help people regain the ability to walk after this basic motor function has been affected by an acute or chronic health problem, old age, or even a congenital defect.
The therapeutic device encourages intuitive motor learning. It is an effective, low-cost solution that helps practice walking in different surroundings. The device can be used in conjunction with professional therapy or even at home, exponentially increasing the frequency of practice and thus leading to better motor learning and performance for the patient.
Salute’s patent-protected technology was designed for home use. The company says that the intuitive, user-friendly technology is suitable for people suffering from neurological damage and aging folks suffering from similar motoric problems.
The device also helps children and adolescents who suffer from congenital defects and adults whose ability to walk has been damaged by accident or illness to improve their walking.
The company adds that an important advantage of using the device lies in the short time span it take the product to help users regain their ability to walk. The device Salute developed allows continuity in patients’ rehabilitation. The process begins in the hospital, continues at the rehab facility, and then at home. The device supports rehabilitation of both the upper and lower extremities.
So far, more than 300 patients in Israel and elsewhere have been treated with the device.
According to Orly Bar, company CEO, “The device has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for sale in the United States, and has also earned the European standard, the Conformité Européene (CE) marking. The company is on the brink of mass manufacturing and distribution abroad and in the midst of its second round of raising capital.
“The advantage of the Salute device lies in the fact that it brings therapy to all those patients who, until now, could only access therapy at rehab facilities or with professional personnel. The outstanding plus is that it can be used anywhere and at any time.”
TytoCare
Year established: 2012
Location: Netanya and New York
No. of employees: 35
TytoCare, co-founded by CEO Dadi Gilad and COO Ofer Tzadik, has developed a system that allows doctors to carry out long-distance patient examinations of various kinds.
“TytoCare is based on a vision to create an application that simulates a visit to one’s general practitioner or pediatrician without actually leaving home, ” says Gilad. “We provide a platform to consumers that allows them to do a GP or pediatrician’s physical examination, which is usually performed at the clinic. The exam covers the throat, ears, skin, heart, lungs, stomach, and temperature.”
The exam is carried out in one of two ways: in real time with the doctor’s guidance, or independently by the patient who receives instructions on what to do and how to make sure that the quality of the exam is good enough for a diagnosis.
“All of the information is forwarded to the doctor, either in real time as part of a video-conference, or using a pre-recorded digital file, ” says Gilad. “The device is like an extension of the doctor’s eyes, ears, and hands.”
Gilad adds that the data is saved to the cloud and is being analyzed to help the doctor make decisions.
“We’re aiming to provide, at a later stage, a full diagnosis of common illnesses, but this is still in development. The basic device received FDA approval two weeks ago, and we’re now launching the product in the United States and introducing it to large medical institutions there, ” he says.
Hundreds of representatives from abroad
In the meantime, Israel will host its fourth annual Conference on Medical Devices and Computerization on March 7, 2017. The conference—dubbed 2017 MEDinIsrael and spearheaded by the Israel Export Institute in conjunction with the Economy and Industry Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and the Health Ministry—will focus on the global challenges to the world’s healthcare systems, while stressing the importance of community healthcare and the integration of innovative technologies for the benefit of public health.
The organizers are expecting some 2, 000 visitors, 800 of whom will come from abroad, including health ministers, import and distribution reps, hospital directors, IT and acquisitions managers from government and private hospitals, government and regulatory officials, global company executives, and more.
The visitors, representing dozens of nations around the world, are expected to hold hundreds of business meetings with representatives of Israeli companies, facilitated by the economic attachés of the Foreign Trade Administration at the Economy and Industry Ministry.
In tandem with the conference, the organizers are hosting a professional expo where visitors can see the range of technologies and applications and meet the Israelis companies working in the field.
By Ynet News Story done in conjunction with the Israel Export Institute.
