When it comes to auto-injectors for severe allergies, the EpiPen has been the go-to product for decades. Windgap Medical is doing its part to commercialize an alternative system that compensates for some of the inconveniences that come with the need to carry around a bulky EpiPen.
An additional issue with the EpiPen that Windgap is addressing is the user-friendly/safety aspect of injection. Because of the way an EpiPen is designed, people often mistake where the needle is coming out and instead of injecting their leg, they mistake the needle end for a button and inject their thumb during administration. Windgap is also handling the thermal stability issues that come with the EpiPen with its device.
Behavioral Health, Interoperability and eConsent: Meeting the Demands of CMS Final Rule Compliance
In a webinar on April 16 at 1pm ET, Aneesh Chopra will moderate a discussion with executives from DocuSign, Velatura, and behavioral health providers on eConsent, health information exchange and compliance with the CMS Final Rule on interoperability.
In a phone interview, Christopher J. Stepanian, Co-Founder & CEO of Windgap Medical, Inc. shared about what recent progress has been made since an interview back in September. This progress includes two new patents, both of which are focused on the company’s epinephrine delivery device’s basic mode of function, which is centered around reconstitution of dry drugs that can then be injected.
“We were really glad to hear about these two patents moving forward. It provides us with some tangible proof of the value we have in the injectable market,” Stepanian said. “We have another couple dozen patents that are pending and we will be putting in more in the upcoming months.”
At the JP Morgan healthcare conference this year, it was stated that the EpiPen technology was now worth $2.2 billion, so what does that mean for an upcoming competitor like Windgap? Stepanian said that this is actually good news because it means there is a very prominent and profitable space for Windgap in the market in general. But also a generic version of the EpiPen that has been in development is potentially being delayed for approval currently, which opens up even more space for his startup to jump in.
Even with Windgap’s recent closing of a $4.5 million round with investors, that doesn’t mean there won’t still be some challenges and hurdles ahead.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
“The essence of a startup is surfing the waves that have a lot of rough under-sea floor. There are always lots of surges and dips that you don’t expect coming, but you just have to surf it.”
Below is a clip of Stepanian speaking about the Windgap device at MedCity News’ CONVERGE conference last year.
Photo: Flickr user Greg Friese
