Matt Lazenby, a design manager, discussed challenges in medical product development. He described a wrist support product invented by a cardiologist to aid radial access that took 2 years to develop and is now sold worldwide. The presentation addressed challenges such as identifying unmet clinical needs, spending $1.5 million to develop a failed product, getting feedback from multiple clinicians who want different things, and designing products that can be manufactured and sold long-term in New Zealand.

1. DESIGN / HEALTH
SYMPOSIUM
Challenges in Medical Product Development
Matt Lazenby, Design Manager - Adept

2. Product / Graphic Design
Tool Making & CNC Machining
Injection Moulding & Assembly
Meat Hygiene Medical Fishing

3. Ear, Nose & Throat
Interventional Cardiology

4. Support for Trans-radial Angiography and Revascularisation
Quick set up with adjustment to suit patient
Easy change from relaxed to hyper extended
Locks wrist for superior radial access
Carbon fibre and plastic for radio translucency

5. • Invented by Mark Webster – Auckland DHB based
Interventional Cardiologist.
• He approached us with a pencil sketch.
• 2 years in development.
• Now supplied worldwide.
• Royalty paid on every unit sold.

7. What else is in the development pipeline?

8. Left Arm Support for interventional cardiology procedures

9. Enteral Nutrition Flow Controller

10. Challenges and lessons along the way.…

11. Feeding our development funnel
• Used to working to a clients brief.
• Now we have a clean slate, a wealth of capability but
limited need driven ideas.
• Making links with clinical people is key for us
identifying these need areas.

12. Accepting the failures and knowing when to
walk away from an idea
• Our biggest project to date IV Flow Controller.
• $1.5 Million spent on development.
• A simple low cost alternative to a peristaltic pump.
• Needed as much fail safe technology as our more
expensive competitors to meet the regulatory
requirements of the FDA.
• Do thorough regulatory research up front.

13. Accessing clinical stakeholders to validate
new product ideas
• Ideas can sometimes be more push than pull.
• Access multiple clinical stakeholders to get a well
balanced feedback
• The clinicians are always hard to pin down.

14. Every clinician we speak to wants something
different
• Clinicians are experts in their fields.
• They are passionate about their ideas and their
different procedural techniques.
• Negotiating a common methodology can be
challenging when their individual approach is so well
considered and reasoned.

15. Designing to make and sell vs Start up to exit
• Adept is committed to long term manufacture in New
Zealand.
• We will abandon a good idea if it falls outside of our
internal manufacturing capabilities or we do not see a
clear channel to market.
• If something is going to be difficult to make it is our
problem not the large corporate who we eventually
aim to sell out to.

16. 
Thanks for listening