Catalan Technology Expertise Helping Mexican Patients

Q: What are the unique characteristics of the products Ventura Medical Technologies is bringing to the Mexican market?

A: We are entering the Mexican market with our new thoracic implant, the Pectus Up Surgery Kit, designed to treat a congenital malformation called pectus excavatum, and my goal is to register it to begin commercialization. We have already spoken to thousands of doctors and have good expectations from governmental offices, including PEMEX, SEDENA, ISSSTE and IMSS. We have great expectations for this last institution as its head of innovation used to work for Ventura Medical Technologies in Barcelona, Spain. For that reason, we expect to perform some clinical trials both with IMSS and ISSSTE.

Q: What led Ventura Medical Technologies into Mexico and what is the company’s proposition for the Mexican market?

A: Ventura Medical Technologies is an engineering company which prides itself on its close relationships with doctors and allows them to turn their most innovative ideas into products, which are marketed through our global distribution network. We are devoting ourselves to health and the development of new medical devices, promoting innovation among health professionals and helping them get their products to the market. Normally we offer expert advice and look for synergies between their innovative capabilities and our own expertise. The company is based in Spain but the product is patented in 18 countries, including Mexico. I am developing a commercial strategy for the country using both my experience as a doctor and my large network both with the public and the private healthcare sector. We gained interest in the country from the great enthusiasm I saw from Mexican doctors I met at international healthcare events. I have also had close relationships with many potential clients in the country who seemed greatly interested in the product, so bringing it into Mexico seemed a logical next step.

Q: What are the main challenges Ventura Medical Technologies has had to overcome to commercialize its products in Mexico?

A: Registration processes vary widely in length. If there is already a similar product in the market registration only takes seven months. One of a kind, innovative products have to undergo clinical trials before approval. We still do not know how many patients will be required for the trials and its registration will influence how fast we can perform them. It would be significantly faster to perform them with two than with 50. Yet, we have enough candidates both in doctors and hospitals, to perform these trials in one or two months. Taking into account the time cost of clinical trials, we expect to have the product approved in a year.

Q: What are your expectations for the Mexican market and how do you expect doctors to receive the product?

A: We have great expectations for this product and I am certain that we will have a significant number of sales as soon as we acquire the registration. We have many potential clients both in the public and the private sector. Most doctors are pleasantly surprised by this product as it is minimally invasive in comparison to other techniques, some of which even cause small mortality rates. As the product is minimally invasive, its indirect costs are greatly reduced which is attractive to public health institutions.