A breakthrough stenting technology is being developed by ABS and with 34 patents in place to protect their intellectual property it would be hard to bet against them.
Los Angeles, California, November 28, 2017 - A breakthrough stenting technology is being developed by Advanced Bifurcation Systems (ABS) and with 34 patents in place to protect their intellectual property it would be hard to bet against them. The company’s CMO, Dr. Mehran Khorsandi, recently discussed their progress at the annual European Bifurcation Club meeting in front of an enthusiastic audience. As Dr. Khorsandi pointed out, this technology should dramatically reduce the need for open-heart surgery.
The logistics of developing new technologies can be daunting in today’s competitive environment, but with dozens of patents in the US, Canada, the European Union, Australia, China, and Japan they’re well positioned for success. Without this extensive patent protection, competitors could easily undermine their progress.
They’re a small medical start-up based out of California, but having this many patents in place allows them to compete against bigger players. CEO Charles Laverty has been vocal in expressing his belief that this gives them an important advantage. It adds value to the company and makes them an attractive investment target for wealthy investors that might be needed down the line.
Patent protection and full control over intellectual property has become one of the most important factors in a company’s success in our modern economy. This is clearly the case in the medical field.
Attracting Outside Investment
Developing new medical technology is expensive – that’s a reality all new medical start-ups have to deal with. One of the best tools that a company like ABS has is their intellectual property. Their innovative ideas and strong patent protection make them attractive to outside investment. Catching the eye of potential partners with deep pockets is often the difference between good ideas that never get to market and the ones that do.
It isn’t good enough just to protect intellectual property in your home market though – medical technology has to be protected by patents in as many major markets as possible. ABS is well covered in this regard.
Avoiding Legal Battles
New medical inventions don’t typically happen in isolation. It’s rare for one company, or group of researchers, to come up with a new technology that hasn’t been thought of by someone else. The company that benefits the most is the one with the right patents in place. If they aren’t first to the table, and they’re accused of copying another’s protected intellectual property, they leave themselves open to legal liability.
Technologies can be quite similar and that can make it a challenge for companies such as ABS to ensure they have proper patent protection in place. Some businesses have entire legal teams dedicated to making sure they have the intellectual property protection needed to give them a competitive advantage. Without these protections in place, small companies simply can’t compete.
Clearly defined intellectual property rights are also important for the end user of the product in development. Long legal battles can tie up important technology for years, preventing medical breakthroughs.
Tangible Value
There’s been a lot of discussion of the importance of intellectual property protection in the news over the last few years. The University of Southern California is even developing courses to make sure their students are prepared to work with them upon graduation. It’s probably a safe bet that we’ll see this happen at many schools in the near future.
Even when companies seem to be teetering on the brink of collapse there can still be a lot of value to investors interested in their patents. The struggles of Blackberry, formally Research In Motion, have been quite public in recent years. They are still trying to stay viable, but there are many tech companies waiting in the wings to acquire their extensive intellectual property rights should the company collapse.
The reason that a troubled company like Blackberry is still so attractive is because they own the rights to many patents that could still lead to major technological breakthroughs. ABS is also strongly protected by their patents. Dr. Khorsandi has described their technology as a unique device for addressing one of the most difficult surgical procedures faced by heart surgeons – trying to place dual stents in a bifurcation lesion with a high degree of success.
Outside medical investors are very familiar with the type of problem ABS is trying to solve and that’s attracting a lot of interest in this new system. Open-heart surgery is a costly procedure and any technology that can reduce the need for it can potentially save overtaxed health systems a lot of money. That’s why the patents that protect ABS’s intellectual property are so valuable.
The Importance of Optics
It’s not clear if ABS will need the help of outside investors, but that doesn’t make their patents any less important. If surgeons are going to start using their technology once it gains final FDA approval, they’ll want to know that it’s properly protected. Even for simplified procedures like this, there is a learning curve and surgeons won’t want to waste their time learning a new system that might be pulled off the market because of a patent challenge. Thanks to the efforts of ABS’s CTO Henry Bourang in acquiring the necessary patents in key countries, this shouldn’t be a problem for this medical start-up.
Poised for Success
Advanced Bifurcation Systems stenting procedure is still a few years away from being widely available, but their clinical trials have been successful so far. With strong intellectual property protection in place and steady progress towards their goals ongoing, they seem poised for success.
About Advanced Bifurcation Systems
Advanced Bifurcation Systems (“ABS”) is a clinical stage medical device company developing an innovative stenting platform for simple treatment of all bifurcation lesions in coronary angioplasties. ABS has developed a novel technology which overcomes the limitations of current approaches while simplifying the procedure. The Company’s groundbreaking system consists of numerous differentiating features, including a unique modular independently movable dual-catheter system for provisional side-branch stenting as well as full bifurcation stenting with a proprietary crimping technology allowing for partial crimping of the main stent. For more information, go to www.advancedbifurcation.com.
Contact:
Advanced Bifurcation Systems
Charles Laverty
Chief Executive Officer
charles_laverty@advancedbifurcation.com
(949)432-4824