High-growth medical technology markets, such as transcatheter heart valves—a bellwether product for Irvine-based Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (see story, page 3)—will continue to draw increasing levels of investor attention this year, according to a recent report by Boston-based investment bank Leerink Partners.
Leerink examined the markets as part of a 350-page healthcare industry overview.
The bank said in the report that it expected “growth-focused investors” to increasingly gravitate toward companies with what it characterized as assets in select high-growth markets, including Edwards and competitors such as Medtronic Inc. and St. Jude Medical Inc., which are both based in Minnesota but have OC operations.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement “remains as one of the most promising opportunities in cardiology—and in [medical technology] overall,” Leerink said.
The bank said that usage of Edwards’ Sapien XT and Medtronic’s CoreValve in the U.S. and seven transcatheter heart valves in Europe continues to grow among high-risk and inoperable patients and could potentially drive usage among the much larger moderate-risk patient population.
The bank is projecting a 20%-plus volume compound annual growth rate for transcatheter aortic valve therapy through 2017.
It said it sees the overall transcatheter heart valve market hitting $3 billion by 2017, slightly ahead of Edwards’ projection of a $3 billion market by 2019.
Breast Care Center Head Named
Fountain Valley-based MemorialCare Health System said Dr. Gary Levine will be the new medical director of MemorialCare Breast Centers in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
He’s currently president of the National Consortium of Breast Centers.
Levine will work with leaders at MemorialCare’s hospitals, which include Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, which has campuses in Laguna Hills and San Clemente.
He has more than 20 years of experience in breast cancer imaging and breast center leadership, including serving as medical director of breast imaging at Hoag Breast Care Center for 10 years, according to MemorialCare.
Tustin Centers in Deal
U.S. HealthWorks Inc. recently acquired three Orange County urgent care centers for an undisclosed price.
The centers are two Tustin Irvine Medical Group locations and East Edinger Industrial Urgent Care in Santa Ana. The two Tustin Irvine Medical Group centers are in Santa Ana and Irvine.
Valencia-based U.S. HealthWorks is a for-profit subsidiary of San Francisco-based nonprofit Dignity Health and now operates eight centers in OC.
“U.S. HealthWorks already has a large presence in Orange County and Southern California, and has an excellent reputation for providing high-quality care for its patients. It is exciting to join an organization focused on the delivery of quality healthcare services,” said Dr. Randall Jones, who co-owned the acquired centers.
U.S. HealthWorks said the three facilities would “continue to offer a wide range of occupational healthcare services and urgent care, including diagnosis and treatment for injury and illness, preventive services, pre-employment and post-offer exams and screening, and return-to-work rehabilitative care.”
FDA Approves Viral Test
The Food and Drug Administration late last month approved a test produced by Santa Ana-based MP Biomedicals LLC that confirms the presence of human T-cell lymphotrophic virus I/II antibodies.
The test is known as MP Diagnostics HTLV Blot 2.4 and is manufactured by a Singapore-based subsidiary of MP Biomedicals.
Human T-cell lymphotropic viruses are known to cause diseases such as adult T-cell lymphoma and adult T-cell leukemia, a pair of rare blood cancers; and myelopathy, which is inflammation of the nerves in the spinal cord. The viruses can be transmitted through blood transfusions from an infected donor, unprotected sexual contact, or breast feeding.
Bits & Pieces
Several Orange County medical groups are represented on the 2015-16 board of directors for the Los Angeles-based California Association of Physician Groups. Local directors are Drs. Vinod Jivradjka and Surendra Jain of AppleCare Medical Group in Buena Park; Diane Laird and Leslie McMains of Greater Newport Physicians in Newport Beach; Dr. Mark Schafer and Jennifer Jackman from MemorialCare Medical Group in Tustin; Dr. Bart Asner and Ray Chicoine from Monarch HealthCare in Irvine; and Drs. Mitchell Lew and Jeereddi Prasad of Prospect Medical Group in Orange. … Aliso Viejo-based Apnea Sciences said the U.S. Patent and Trademark office awarded it a patent for micro-adjustment technology featured on its SnoreRx mouthguard. The technology enables users to adjust the device without screws, hardware or tools, Apnea said in a news release.
