Integer Holdings Corp

Tony Anzalones

Tony Anzalones is a visionary and inventive leader in the medical devices landscape and is dedicated to the development and commercialization of groundbreaking innovations. He is currently specializing in the contract design and manufacturing of interventional medical devices, including devices for respiratory applications. Tony has also been part of the supplier side of the business for seven years and has handled multiple sales and marketing roles pertaining to medical devices and technologies. In an interview with MedTech Outlook Magazine, Anzalone throws light on how medical device innovations for treating respiratory conditions are evolving and what the market stance is in that regard.

What are some of the major challenges that have been impacting the respiratory devices space lately?

The most concerning issue in the respiratory device industry right now is a concept known as competitive bidding. It is a process that aids in the consolidation of respiratory therapy suppliers in the field, primarily large regional suppliers or DME organizations capable of bidding and winning large regional contracts at low costs. So, from a technological standpoint, the consumer base is diminishing. The second point of contention is pricing. Price is being pushed to the point where it is suffocating or limiting the ability to innovate or produce new ideas. As a result, numerous low-cost treatments are extensively used to meet the majority of respiratory needs in the domain of oxygen therapy. There are, however, a number of procedural-based alternatives in the works. This approach will help to alleviate cost pressures brought on by competitive bidding for services performed through hospitals that follow a different reimbursement structure and method.

What, according to you, are some of the recent developments that have happened in this space?

On the interventional side, Harmonics has a leading technology in the capacity to build interventional implants, Val specifically for COPD patients, that help manage the, uh, breathing of, of COPD patients in the release of trapped air, essentially in the lungs of COPD patients. Another intriguing technology is called Numerics, which unfortunately did not gain FDA approval but took a different approach to the problem by using coils to restrict the unhealthy area of the lung and optimize the good part of the lung for improved respiratory function. Many different vacuuming techniques are employed to remove pulmonary embolisms or clots. And, especially with COVID-19 and the symptoms linked with COVID-19, they are gaining a lot of momentum in the market. So, from a business standpoint, the opportunity to promote innovation and the potential to have a profitability platform or pricing platform are all things that may make business appealing.

What are some of the recent projects you are working on?

A number of standard methods that are used in other fields are now being effectively used in the respiratory sector and are getting a lot of momentum. For example, in the field of pain management and epilepsy, there’s the usage of neuromodulation treatment, which is an electrical therapy that stimulates nerves, and it’s been generally recognized for patients who are resistant to drugs and don’t react to medications. Furthermore, the use of technologies that have been proved to be beneficial in cardiovascular or normal vascular situations to pulmonary or respiratory applications is demonstrating genuine therapeutic effectiveness in the patient’s prognosis.

How do you envision the future of this space?

Numerous new technologies are gaining traction, but the user base that actually performs these procedures is limited. As a result, it is critical for these firms to have a pool of physicians capable of conducting these operations. In addition, firms must provide referrals that are appropriate for patients who have failed regular therapy or who are ideal candidates for these procedures. So market research is required to obtain that referral and flow, as well as to continue to train physicians and surgeons who are capable of doing the treatment. However lastly, over the next 24 to 36 months as some of these technologies will be approved and made accessible for usage, while others strive to build a user base, referral pattern, and awareness in order to get acceptability.

Is there any advice you have for new and growing businesses out there?

 It is critical for any developing firm to have a solid financial sponsor as well as a desire to spend in the growth of technology. Furthermore, a sound development strategy should be in place to aid growth or support a genuine medical plan that can be built and expanded.

"Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for improved respiratory devices and therapies has increased even more. From a commercial perspective, there is a huge opportunity to foster innovation and turn it into profit"

When a small company approaches us, we seldom work with them until they have at least those two or three elements in place because the odds of those firms getting financed or prospering are slim to none. As anyone who is a young entrepreneur with a great business concept and wants to transform it into sophisticated medical equipment that can be tested in animals and eventually in humans, it takes a long time to develop, and that’s quite expensive. And in order to achieve that, one needs a strategic sponsor or another investor who’s willing to invest in the company and promote the idea. After that, if one got a viable device that’s been tested in animals, maybe even assessed in people in modest clinical studies, and a platform is established that can be developed into next-generation technology.