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  The next chapter in the story of Slovenia’s medical technology industry has begun – and it is being co-written by leaders from the in-vitro diagnostics and medical devices sectors. SIEDMA and SLO-MED have formally merged to become MedTech Slovenia. Together, we are combining our expertise to speak for our diverse industry with one voice. […]

Urinary and faecal incontinence, as well as pelvic pain, are extremely debilitating and bothersome conditions. They are also more common than you may think: Around 1 in 4 women over the age of 35 and 1 in 10 adult men are affected by incontinence. Over 400 million people worldwide suffer from the condition. As you […]

This is the second part of the article. Should you find out more about the five types of solutions offers that could innovate the medtech sector, please click here.  By definition every solution, regardless of its design, targets a specific customer challenge. The key to configuring effective solutions is to understand the customer’s needs, but majority […]

1. What medical devices are relevant to your disease area? There are a number of medical devices that are important for patients with incontinence conditions. Bladder installations for interstitial cystitis, neuromodulation devices help patients to address pain symptoms and catheters, are examples of the devices used. 2. Have you seen any developments in recent years in the […]

When it comes to speaking about diseases and their impact on patients, carers and families, we don’t normally jump at the chance to talk about incontinence. Many people are embarrassed to discuss it – whether it be from their own experience, from supporting family members suffering from it, or because it just isn’t as sexy as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (which have similar prevalence rates). But we need to talk about incontinence.

Since the French authorities made their announcement just prior to Christmas, the PIP case has generated a large amount of press and political attention. Quite rightly, the main focus is on the women affected and on governments providing the right health advice and appropriate follow-up. As I am writing this posting a couple of days after we released our first statement, I understand that the European Commission is to seek an independent scientific opinion on the human health risks of silicone breast implants.

Incontinence is a condition that often gets associated with age. When we think about incontinence we tend to think first about elderly people and that’s normal because over 60% of nursing home residents are affected with some kind of incontinence (from mild to severe). However, European studies estimate that between 4% and 8% of the total population are affected, regardless of age. As our populations grow older, it is fair to say that more and more people will suffer from it. This could be your neighbour’s condition and you wouldn’t even know about it!

The build up to last week’s MedTech Forum in Brussels was frenetic for the Eucomed team and left us all exhausted for the weekend. The new week brings time for reflection and some satisfaction at a job well done. It was always our objective to generate a high level of informed debate and bring stakeholders together from different perspectives.