CytoSorbents Corporation (CTSO)

[techxen]

Refractory septic shock: our "pragmatic" approach

This article was just published this week in Critical Care and lists everything but the kitchen sink as interventions for septic shock except Cytosorb (e.g. Albumin, Hydrocortisone, Femoral arterial access, Lower the MAP target, Minimise sedation, Replacement of thiamine and vitamin C, etc. etc.). Seriously????

https://ccforum.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13054-018-2144-4

Oh but wait - this was published by doctors based in the UK - you know that country that has had little to no sales activity and two distributors.

Some little known facts about the UK (courtesy of MedTech Trendwatch):

- the UK’s total health expenditures as a proportion of GDP are lower than the EU average, and even lower when compared only to countries that joined the EU before 2004

- Medical device market revenues are smaller per capita in the UK compared to its counterparts in the EU5 — Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. This discrepancy is partially attributable to a slower adoption rate for new, more expensive devices due to the National Health Service’s (NHS) conservative and lengthy process of establishing reimbursement for these devices.

- The NHS’ slow system of establishing reimbursement for new medical devices creates significant lag in the adoption of new medical devices in the UK. While this has the obvious effect of dampening the market by limiting the sales of new devices with high ASPs, it also has a subtler, but no less damaging, effect on the UK health care system – a lack of local physicians specializing in new surgical techniques that involve emerging medical technologies.
The reasons for this deficit are two-fold: First, newly trained UK physicians are leaving the country for regions where they can utilize and be well-compensated for their skills (as suggested, at least in part, by high emigration rates among UK doctors). Second, UK physicians are not choosing training in specialties that are not supported by the country’s reimbursement system. As a result, when NHS finally grants reimbursement for a new device, quick adoption relies heavily on the immigration of specialists.

- UK physicians’ wages are notoriously low. In the case of salaried general practitioners, wages are significantly higher outside the UK.

Sorry I am venting a bit but after the lackluster NICE Med Tech briefing that was published back in 2016 (https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib87/chapter/Summary) I have given up hope of seeing any adoption in this country, so don't be looking for it to be highlighted anytime soon on the company's investor presentations.

I will get off my soapbox now.....