Providing complete assembly solutions to medical device OEMs for neuromodulation patients
Neuromodulation is a promising alternative for patients suffering from pain, paralysis, depression, or other nervous system-related disorders. It is a complex therapeutic procedure in which patients are treated through electrical impulses to specific nerves in the brain and spinal cord. For example, thin electrodes can be implanted behind the spinal cord in the epidural space as a type of pain pacemaker.
With over 600 diseases of the nervous system for which it can be used, including chronic pain, incontinence, or depression, Neuromodulation is becoming an increasingly important treatment method. As a result, Heraeus Medical Components is further establishing itself as an essential design, development, and manufacturing partner for medical device OEMs. The company's declared goal is to become the number one supplier to medical device manufacturers for neuromodulation leads and device enclosures to help reach its mission of improving 100 million lives every year.
On the way to achieving its mission of improving 100 million lives every year, one life, in particular, includes that of a 16-year-old girl. By providing an implantable lead solution to a medical device manufacturer, Heraeus Medical Components has helped improve the life of a high schooler who has never actually attended high school in person. Instead, the 16-year-old has had to be cared for at home for the past nine years and has hardly been able to leave the house even to enjoy a meal at a restaurant. What is the reason for this seclusion? The teenager’s colon doesn't work properly, so she cannot control when she needs to use the bathroom. As a result of her abnormal colon function, the high schooler has had to take a wide range of medications every day. In addition, she has had to undergo unpleasant intestinal lavages, which cleanse the colon with saline solution.
The remedy was a so-called "sacral neuromodulation," in which a sacral nerve stimulator was implanted into the teen’s lower back. This implant stimulates the nerve that controls bowel movements and lets her know when she needs to go to the bathroom. The success rate of the procedure is about 90 percent. In the case of this 16-year-old, doctors have high hopes that she will soon be able to attend school in person for the first time in her high school career. "It's stories like this that motivate the team in our daily work," says Cullen Boyd, Global Head of Interventional Portfolio at Heraeus Medical Components. "Because we know that we can directly improve patients’ lives through what we do."
Heraeus Medical Components setting the stage for market leadership
As Heraeus Medical Components took a deeper look at the Neuromodulation market for the treatment of chronic pain, the company noticed some gaps in current offerings. The market called for more than a component manufacturer; it called for a true end-to-end design, development, and manufacturing partner to medical device OEMs. In an effort to meet market and customer needs and evolve from a component manufacturer to a full-service provider, Heraeus Medical Components looked for a sustainable solution and acquired Evergreen Medical Technologies. In doing so, the company could redefine its value proposition to be a single outsourcing partner for its customers, including the design, development, and contract manufacturing of neuromodulation solutions. Heraeus Medical Components develops and manufactures both the devices and the implant accessories, offering complete system solutions. These capabilities and continuous innovation to platform technologies allow the company to shorten the supply chain and speed time to market for customers.
Heraeus Medical Components also contributes to the overall sustainability of Heraeus Global, the technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, a leading international family-owned portfolio company. By investing in the growing neuromodulation market, Heraeus Medical Components has reached peak market share in some segments and has the goal of 20 percent overall CDMO market share by 2025. With a vision of becoming the number one supplier to medical device manufacturers for neuromodulation leads and device enclosures, Heraeus Medical Components is well on its way to achieving its mission in this space and the contribution it would make to the overall company goal of improving 100 million lives every year.
