Johnson & Johnson

Biten Kathrani, Head of R&D, Vision Care APAC, is a distinguished leader renowned for his work in medical technology. With a diverse career spanning over 3 decades, Biten has established himself as a visionary in medtech innovation. He has been instrumental in developing 6 de novo R&D centers or programs in Asia for MNCs and early-stage companies. Biten’s experience spans 12 disease areas and brings global experience working in Asia and US. He and his teams have led numerous cutting-edge product development and global launches. With a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from the Ivy League Wharton Business School, his expertise encompasses Class II and III medical devices, equipment, biomaterials, and IP management. In his current role he is focused on myopia management in children and specialty contact lenses.

Through this article, Kathrani shares his insights on customer center innovation models, future trends, and leadership strategies, offering invaluable guidance to those seeking to optimize their operation and foster high impact healthcare innovations.

How do emerging ventures and technology integration enhance opportunities in the healthcare sector?

Medical technology has undergone remarkable advancements, addressing numerous challenges in healthcare. Despite this progress, significant unmet needs persist due to rising disease burdens, lack of access and changing points of care. For e.g. in the 1980s and 1990s, the emergence of surgical visualization technologies such as laparoscopic and endoscopic propelled a shift from open surgery to minimally invasive surgeries and in turn from multiple days of hospitalization to day care procedures, faster recovery and better clinical outcomes like reduced rates of infection, early return to work.  

Today, we are witnessing a new wave of transformation driven by digital and AI technologies. This shift entails transitioning towards a hybrid care model, where a substantial portion of healthcare delivery occurs outside traditional clinical settings.

Digital innovations and point-of-care diagnostics empower patients and consumers to take a proactive role in managing their health, often leading to a transition towards home-based care, 24/7 health monitoring further enriching a data driven healthcare decision models.

As many single disease acute issues have been effectively addressed, medical technology is now increasingly focused on managing complex diseases such as neurology, structural heart disease, underserved ocular conditions and advanced solid organ cancers. These complex diseases which often manifest with co-morbidities, requires the intersection of multiple technologies for developing innovative solutions.

Could you elaborate on your approach to product development and process engineering in medical device R&D?

I am proponent of the design thinking process (or the Stanford Biodesign process) which anchors innovation on clinical and patient unmet needs. It starts with identifying high burden disease areas and understanding current challenges in terms of awareness, access, affordability and adoption. Whether it's refining interventions for complex diseases or optimizing existing treatments, we focus on bridging gaps in patient care.

Empathy for the patient and healthcare workers  guides the initial phase in the design thinking framework, where we immerse ourselves in understanding the problem statement, defining our target outcomes and constraints. This requires multiple immersion sessions in the clinical setting using tools like Ethnography. We discern our end-users, whether healthcare providers or patients and assess how our solutions integrate into the healthcare ecosystem.

"Informed patient communities and evolving healthcare policies and access to care has the power to drive a gradual shift towards preventive and decentralized care models, early intervention and better clinical outcomes .”

We transition to the solutions phase by prioritizing highest needs with high impact and then brainstorming to identify technologies to develop proof-of-concepts that address problems. Collaboration with commercial partners helps gauge market demand and assess business viability and sustainability.

With these elements in place, we proceed to product design and manufacturing, ensuring adherence to regulatory standards, quality systems and design control. Rigorous product performance verification and clinical validation processes ensure clinical efficacy, safety and claims substantiation before market launch.

How do you foresee the future direction of vision care, and what pivotal advancements do you anticipate in the upcoming years?

Vision care has become integral to individuals’ lifelong journeys, starting from early childhood with the rising prevalence of conditions like myopia. Progressive myopia in children has emerged as a significant concern, recognized by entities such as the World Health Organization. Addressing pediatric eye health and implementing myopia control measures is a need of the hour. It requires not only innovative solutions but also investment in patient awareness & eye care practitioner education.

Transitioning to adult eye health, 50% of the  global population is expected to be myopic and therefore will need vision correction. Other challenges such as ocular surface diseases and dry eyes persist, exacerbated by environmental and lifestyle factors. Cataract procedures have become a standard of care, affecting millions worldwide as a natural consequence of aging.

The early-onset myopia presents a looming challenge which will further increase the burden of aging eye disease in the future years. High myopia in children can predispose individuals to various vision impairments and eye diseases, such as glaucoma, myopic macular disease and retinal detachments in later years of life.

Fortunately, the field is witnessing a surge in novel technologies spanning materials, optics, and digital and AI-based diagnostics. These advancements hold promise for enhancing early screening, diagnostics and interventions. Leveraging these cutting-edge tools can address the gaps in eye care and pave the way for a healthier global vision landscape.

What would be your piece of advice for fellow peers in the industry?

Innovation hinges on an Outside-In strategy and vision to explore innovative technologies and business models. We must remain focused on those we serve—patients, doctors and the broader community—devoting ample time to comprehend the challenges we aim to address. Our priority should lie in not just identifying these problems but taking pride in devising effective solutions and evolving healthcare systems and channels to make these solutions accessible, affordable and drive adoption.

Digital technologies enabled by data science, wearables, machine learning and AI tools will undoubtedly disrupt the future of healthcare, improving awareness and access, delivering better outcomes and leading us to preventive care.