AdamFrame feasibility study primary research results offer to common external fixation problems below:
Problems:
- The long & hard treatment process is a barrier for external fixation treatment results as rarely to be prefered by surgeons.
- Orthopedic surgeons do not use external fixators to infants having congenital deformities because common fixators are not suitable for infants. Early fixation offers a shorter treatment period and healthier psychology for children.
- External fixators are fixed to the long bones by rigid screws and soft pins. These pins let the rigid fixators to dynamize and accelerate the treatment. However these pins comes with the pin site infection which is the most common problem of patients during their long term external fixation treatment.
Solution:
Carrying out interviews and marketing studies with orthopedic surgeons describing:
- The novelty and ease of use coming with AdamFrame like short period treatment and very few visit or hospitalization need.
- AdamFrame lets surgeons to be able to use external fixation treatment to infants successfully.
- Using pins to dynamize the external fixator is not a must anymore with AdamFrame. One of the innovative features for the product is adjustable dynamization that lets surgeons free from extra pins. Less pin usage results less pin site infection for patients during their long term external fixation treatment.
The feasibility study of this project, was focused on the problems below:
Problems:
- Determining the most effective target markets.
- Market barriers (Local regulations, product and brand awareness, etc)
- Target market competition.
- Development of pediatric external fixation market.
Solution:
Studying analyzes on strategies of legal authorities and their future plans for external fixation market including:
- Target market decision from Asia-Pacific Countries (Malezia, Phillipines, Indonesia, etc.), Middle East Countries (Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc), South America Countries (Brazil, Argentina) These countries were selected due to their high population, external fixator treatment rate, WHO healthcare index and medical device statistics.
- Distributor search who can cover regulations needs. (Licence to Operate a Medical Device Establishment, Registration of Medical Devices, Free Sale Certificate, etc.)
- Competition analysis data obtained from the purchased market reports.
The most important societal benefit of AdamFrame is making the External Fixator technology accessible to everyone, even to patients with low disposable income. Moreover; as stated in Regulation EU No 282/2014, clause 3; According to the definition of the World Health Organisation (WHO) “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” AdamFrame can also be considered as a well-being tool for orthopedic patients; which not only corrects orthopedic deformities but also improves mental motivation of the patient by decreasing follow-up visits & biases and increasing patient comfort during the treatment.
Patients with limb deformities are end users of AdamFrame. Limb deformities can be congenital (they are born with it), developmental, or acquired as the result of fracture, infection, arthritis or tumor. Patients might be of various ages ranging from 12 to beyond 70s. One of the importance for society is AdamFrame’s is the solution developed for pediatric patients. This is an unaddressed segment in the marke and AdamFrame is the only solution. Developing the pediatric external fixation market is a viable economic opportunity beside the regular adult patients market.
Imed Surgical aims to make with AdamFrame, external fixation technique to be the most preferred bone fracture and bone deformity treatment method. Minimizing the risk of fixator caused infections is one of the AdamFrame’s objectives for increasing patients life quality and success rate of the treatment.
The past field trials verifies that AdamFrame is a powerful candidate to solve the both economic and social problems with its cost-effective design and surgeon friendly use.
The main objective of this project is to prepare a proper feasibility study and an in-depth business plan, which will map the route to a successful introduction and diffusion of AdamFrame into global market and maximize its economic and societal impact.
