Biocom Fetes Medical Device Industry

by Bradley J. Fikes, Staff Writer

CARLSBAD — Medical-device companies, often overlooked compared to their biotech cousins, became the star at a Wednesday evening exhibition of innovative products.

The exhibition, DeviceFest, was sponsored by the life sciences trade association Biocom. It featured products and representatives of nearly two dozen local companies, a third of which are located in North County. The event, which attracted about 200 people, took place in the Carlsbad headquarters of Invitrogen Corp.

The whimsically Polynesian-themed event ---- with a food tower made of stacked pineapples as the centerpiece ---- was intended to highlight the creativity of medical-device companies in solving health care problems. Although they have not grabbed as much media attention as biotech, local medical-device companies have far more products on the market.

Three winners were chosen from the exhibitors:

• Iyia Technologies of San Marcos, for it's oxygen/antibiotic mist producer that speeds wound healing in diabetics.
• Reva Medical, of Sorrento Valley, maker of a bioresorbable stent for blocked coronary blood vessels.
• SeQual Technologies, also of Sorrento Valley, for its device for producing purified oxygen from the air.

Iyia's device garnered the "Why Didn't I Think of That?" award, for the cleverest idea that is obvious in hindsight. Reva's stent earned it the "Humanitarian" award, given for a device that has the widest implications for improving human health care. SeQual won the "Star Trek" award, for the most impressive use of technology.

"This is our first and what we hope to be an annual DeviceFest," said Joleen Schultz Batstone, an organizer of the event with Biocom's medical device committee. "The idea is to honor medical device companies for prototypes or brand new innovations."

Iyia's product was approved last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Adrian Pelkus, chief executive and founder of the company. Iyia, (pronounced (EYE-ee-uh) is now looking for partners to take the device to market.

Many diabetics have poor circulation in their feet, which makes them more vulnerable to infections and slows wound healing. This results in chronic ulcers and often, amputation. The oxygenator/mister fights infection while encouraging tissue to regrow by improving the supply of oxygen.

"This applies a hydrating mist that carries an antibiotic, and mixes it with oxygen," Pelkus said. "(Patients) sit with their foot in this for 10 minutes, very comfortably, and it switches over automatically to oxygen."

The antibiotic/oxygen phase takes place four times during the treatment, for a total of one hour, twice a week.

"We had one patient, 42 years old, had been diabetic since 15, needing a kidney/pancreas transplant and can't get on the list because of his wound. After 12 treatments, we completely healed that wound," Pelkus said. "That patient went and got his kidney/pancreas transplant, and now wakes up every morning and doesn't have to take insulin."

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