ImaginativePRO Blog

ABBVIE INC UNDER ATTACK AS THE FDA APPROVES NEW 'BOTOX' RIVAL DAAXIFY FROM REVANCE THERAPEUTICS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new antiwrinkle treatment that could be the most formidable challenger to date to market leader Botox.

Analysts say the drug, from Revance Therapeutics, poses a threat to the market-dominating anti-wrinkle treatment because it promises to last longer.   Revance plans to market Daxxify as a luxury item and emphasize its longer duration than Botox and other toxins.

For about two decades, Botox, now sold by AbbVie Inc., has dominated the aesthetic-drug market it helped pioneer, racking up tens of billions of dollars in sales and successfully fending off challengers.

The FDA’s approval of Revance Therapeutics Inc.’s Daxxify introduces a new rival that doctors and analysts said could succeed carving out a big slice of a lucrative and fast-growing market by promising to last two months longer than Botox’s four months.

The FDA approved Daxxify, also known as daxibotulinumtoxinA, for the temporary improvement of frown lines in adults, Revance said Thursday.

The decision, analysts and doctors said, should touch off a fierce battle between upstart Revance and industry giant AbbVie, which acquired Botox as the centerpiece of a $63 billion deal for its manufacturer in 2020.

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“This marks what we think is the first real competitive threat to Botox,” said Cowen Inc. analyst Ken Cacciatore, who expect011s Daxxify to generate $1 billion in sales as early as 2030.

Botox, derived from the poisonous Botulinum toxin bacteria, blocks signals between nerves mand muscles, causing the muscles to relax. A doctor originally developed the drug to treat an eye disorder, before patients noticed it smoothed their wrink,m1 les.

The discovery prompted a company called Alle rgan to pursue Botox’s cosmetic use, which the FDA granted in 2002, launching a new market for p5mkroducts and procedures that enlarge lips, fill in cheeks and sculpt other body parts.

That aesthetics market was worth $14.6 billion worldwide last year, according to the Aesthetic Society, a professional society of plastic surgeons. Physicians in the U.S. performed about 4.4 million procedures involving Botox and two of its rivals in 2020, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said.

The aesthetics market has been growing 10% annually, but could increase more rapidly over the next few years, according to McKinsey & Co., driven in part by a proliferation of med spas and social-media-inspired awareness among young people.

The Botox brand name has become a fixture in America’s cultural lexicon, like Band-Aid and Kleenex.

Despite facing a raft of competitors, Botox holds about 70% market share. The drug’s profitability attracted AbbVie, which sought the product as it girded for lower-priced competition for its top-selling drug Humira.

Botox sales totaled more than $4.6 billion last year, up more than $1 billion from the year prior as people working from home because of the pandemic sought to look good in video calls and returned to seeing their aesthetic doctors in person.

Botox is also approved for therapeutic uses. It lasts up to four months, according to the product’s website.

The Revance drug threatens to eat into Botox sales, which last year made up roughly 8% of AbbVie’s $56 billion revenues, behind only Humira’s roughly $20 billion in sales and the $5.4 billion from blood-cancer treatment Imbruvica.

To counter the threat, AbbVie has said it is investing more in its aesthetics business, spending more on R&D, consumer advertising and expanding its sales force in the U.S. as well as China, which the company said is a growing market.

AbbVie has said it is developing a toxin whose wrinkle-reducing duration could last longer than the approved version of Botox and a fast-acting one that has shorter duration.

AbbVie declined to comment.

Revance is taking a different tack than older Botox rivals like Dysport, made by France’s Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals; Xeomin, made by Germany’s Merz Group, and Evolus Inc.’s Jeuveau. The rivals primarily tried to compete on price, according to doctors and analysts.

Rather than discounting its drug to reach a mass market, Revance plans to market Daxxify as a luxury item to high-volume injectors in the U.S. and emphasize its longer duration than Botox and other toxins, Chief Executive Mark Foley said.

The company hasn’t disclosed pricing but has said it expects physicians to pay more than they do for existing toxins. As with other antiwrinkle toxins, doctors would purchase Daxxify directly from Revance and then bill patients, rather than insurers.

“We’re going to be introducing a product that we’re not trying to say is everything to everybody. Now, you can choose,” Mr. Foley said.

Daxxify will face big obstacles, doctors and analysts said, such as overcoming the loyalty of doctors and patients who are longtime Botox customers.

AbbVie can also sell Botox with its other aesthetic products like fat-removing CoolSculpting and dermal filler Juvéderm in exchange for discounts. And physicians will need to be trained to use Revance’s drug because it is prepared and administered differently than Botox.

In a survey of 25 physicians last year by Truist Securities Inc., nearly two-thirds said the new Revance drug would account for none to a small amount of their toxin usage, while most of the remaining physicians surveyed said it would account for a moderate amount of usage.

The FDA was slated to decide on Daxxify in 2020, but pandemic-related travel restrictions delayed the agency’s inspection of Revance’s manufacturing facility in Newark, Calif., according to the company. Several months after completing the inspection last summer, the FDA declined to approve the drug, which Revance said was due to manufacturing concerns.

After resolving those FDA concerns, Revance requested approval again and has since addressed all the agency’s subsequent issues, Mr. Foley said.

In a pair of late-stage trials studying about 600 total subjects, about a third of patients who received the product maintained either no or only mild wrinkles after about six months, according to Revance.

Similar results were reported by researchers in a subsequent open-label trial of about 2,700 subjects. No safety concerns were observed in the studies, according to the company.

COMMENTARY:   The idea that you can market Daaxify as a "luxury" prescription facial injectable wrinkle remover makes me want to laugh.  Differentiator strategy?  The only point of differentiation that Daaxify can really claim is that it lasts two months longer than Botox.  AbbVie has an answer for that:  AbbVie already developed a longer-lasting version of Botox, so Daaxify's advantage will not last very long when they go head-to-head.  Don't know the difference in price between Daaxify and Botox in order to say Daaxify can compete on price.  New entrant into the market?  I have never considered being new into a market a competitive advantage.  Nobody really knows you.  If the Revance Therapeutics, maker of Daaxify were part of Pfizer, I might worry.  

 

Botox dominates the market for wrinkle remover facial injectables with a 70% share of the global market.  It is well entrenched and Botox is the go-to wrinkle remover facial injectable drug by doctors.  Marketing Daaxify as a "luxury" just does not compute with me.  I wasn't aware that there was a "luxury" market segment for wrinkle remover facial injectables.  Will dermatologists ask their patients, "Do you prefer the newer Daaxify or the more popular regular Botox or the newer advanced version of Botox that also lasts eight months?"  

 

AppVie's Botox has huge advantages over new market entrants:  well branded, loyal customers, better or superior product, distribution channels (doctors) all locked-up, huge product development team, and deep pockets to protect its market position.  It's a Lovemark brand by any definition.  Those are huge castle walls to climb and a huge moat to cross.   

 

Sorry, Daaxify.

 

How Big is the wrinkle remover facial injectables market?   Here are a few facts:

 

Factors driving the growth and use of facial injectable products to remove wrinkles are as follows: 

• Demand For Anti-Aging Aesthetics - A growing focus on physical appearance among consumers, especially among women, has led to an increased demand for facial injectables in recent years.
• Increased Demand For Minimally Invasive Procedures - Consumer awareness regarding minimally invasive procedures due to various beauty campaigns being organized by key players in the market is also a driving factor for market growth.
• COVID-19 Pandemic - The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased the time spent on video calls. Known as the ‘Zoom Boom’, several adults are becoming more aware of their appearance. This has increased demand for cosmetic surgeries, with Botox being one of the most popular products preferred.

According to market research by Grand View Research, the global facial injectable market size was valued at USD $16.1 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% from 2022 to 2030.  

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Vantage Market Research states that the global facial injectable market is driven primarily by new product launches and the market is estimated to reach USD $7.5 billion by the year 2028.  

 

The Global Anti Aging Market is valued at USD 59.1 Billion in the year 2021 and is projected to reach a value of USD 88.1 Billion by the year 2028. The Global Market is anticipated to grow exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.9% over the forecast period.  The Global Facial Injectables Market revenue stood at USD $4.4 billion in the year 2021 and is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.4% during the forecast period. 

 

On the basis of product, the Anti-Aging Market is segmented into four segments:

• Anti-Wrinkle.
• Hair Color.
• Ultraviolet (UV) Absorption.
• Anti-Stretch Mark.

The Anti Aging sector is currently dominated by anti-wrinkle products, which account for the majority of sales.  Anti-wrinkle products had the largest market share in 2021, and significant growth is expected by 2028.  Because of the harmful effects of cosmetics and chemical-based products, natural products are predicted to expand at the fastest rate.

 

According to market research by Grand View Research, the U.S. facial injectable market size was valued at USD $5.6 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% from 2022 to 2030.

 

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The anti-aging market is segmented demographically into four segments: 

• Generation X.
• Generation Y.
• Generation Z.
• Baby Boomers.

Generation X has dominated the Anti Aging industry in terms of revenue. Increased disposable income and a greater focus on physical appearance would both help the market flourish. Over the forecasted period, the demographic group Generation Y is likely to grow at a high rate. The target demographic is millennials who are familiar with high-end premium brands like Estée Lauder and Elizabeth Arden. Premium skincare brands are becoming increasingly popular among millennials.

 

Courtesy of an article dated February 8, 2022 appearing in The Wall Street Journal, an article dated June 2022 appearing in Vantage Market Research, an article dated February 2021 appearing in Grand View Research,

CORONA VIRUS SOCIAL MEDIA DASHBOARD FORMED; COVID19 CASES HIT 100K, BUT COVID19 TEST KITS IN SHORT SUPPLY

There can be no doubt that cases of COVID19 aka Corona Virus has now spread worldwide. We are now in the midst of a worldwide PANDEMIC with over  100,731 confirmed cases and 3,412 deaths.  The good news is that 55,997 cases have fully recovered.

On February 4, 2020, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to enable emergency use of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel. To date, this test has been limited to use at CDC laboratories; today’s authorization allows the use of the test at any CDC-qualified lab across the country.

FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. said, 

“Since this outbreak first emerged, we’ve been working closely with our partners across the U.S government and around the globe to expedite the development and availability of critical medical products to help end this outbreak as quickly as possible. This continues to be an evolving situation and the ability to distribute this diagnostic test to qualified labs is a critical step forward in protecting the public health.  Our collaboration with the CDC has been vital to rapidly developing and facilitating access to this diagnostic test. The FDA remains deeply committed to utilizing our regulatory tools and leveraging our technical and scientific expertise to advance the availability of critical medical products to respond to this outbreak in the most expeditious, safe and effective manner possible.”

The full FDA press release is included below:

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE CORONA VIRUS FDA NEWS RELEASE 2-4-2020

Pharmaceutical companies are in the spotlight as they race to develop treatments for the rapidly spreading Wuhan Corona Virus.  Firms like Novavax, AbbVie and Vir Biotechnology are among those developing potential vaccines and treatments for the disease.  

GlobalData’s new Coronavirus Social Media Dashboard analyses Twitter activity to help readers identify the latest trending keywords, hashtags, mentioned companies and countries. The dashboard tracks Twitter activity around the outbreak in near real-time providing a unique insight into what expert influencers and leading organisations are saying about the spread of the disease.

COMMENTARY:

Corona Virus FDA approved CDC Corona Virus Test Kits in Short Supply

After a weekslong delay, thousands of Corona Virus test kits are headed to state and local laboratories, Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday, March 4, 2020.

But questions remain about when, exactly, those promised test kits will arrive and how well they will work.

Pence said during a meeting Wednesday with diagnostic lab CEOs.

"We have more than 2,500 kits that are being distributed around the country this week that will make more than 1.5 million tests available at hospitals that have requested them, and in areas of the country that have been particularly impacted by the Corona Virus."

Federal health officials have been scrambling to increase access to Corona Virus testing following a series of initial blunders, including limiting testing strictly to those with symptoms and those who had either come into contact with a known patient or had traveled from China.

FDA approved CDC Corona Virus COVID19 Test Kits (Click Image To Enlarge)

What's more, the test kits the CDC first sent labs in January proved to be faulty, giving inconclusive results.

Such a large-scale snafu appears to be unprecedented.

Kelly Wroblewski, director of infection diseases for the Association of Pubic Health Laboratories, told NBC News,

"I can't remember it ever happening before.  This was just, perhaps, the most unfortunate timing to have a manufacturing issue."

On Tuesday, Food and Drug Administration head Dr. Stephen Hahn testified before a Senate committee that the FDA was working with a private company to increase testing capacity, though this will not happen immediately. Wednesday afternoon, Pence said that two of the major commercial diagnostic labs, LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, would be conducting the test next week.

As of Wednesday morning, only about 70 public health labs were able to test for the Corona Virus, Wroblewski said. (The private company mentioned by Hahn will be providing tests to other labs, not public health labs.)

Those 70 include hospitals, military bases, Department of Defense labs, as well as other state and local public health labs, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Association of Public Health Laboratories estimates that if 100 labs are up and running by the end of this week, about 10,000 tests per day could be performed.

Wroblewski said. 

"Everybody feels better this week than they did last week.  For the last three weeks or so, we've been so focused on having a test up and running. We're excited to be in a place where we're able to do that."

The Department of Forensic Sciences in Washington, D.C., a public health facility, started testing for the new Corona Virus on Monday.

How GlobalData's Corona Virus Social Media Dashboard Can Help Marketers and Medical Industry

On March 4, 2020, President Donald Trump appointed Vice-President Mike Pence to control all information concerning the Corona Virus aka COVID19 from the infectious disease government agencies.  The establishment by the White House to put a muzzle on all information flowing from the federal government health agencies like the HHS, CDC, NIH, FDA, HRSA and NCEZI, to name a few, means that the true story regarding the extent of infections caused by the Corona Virus may not be accurate. 

President Donald Trump's attempt to limit information about the Corona Virus originating from federal health agencies is nothing less than attempt by the President to limit the impact of information that may affect his ability to get re-elected.  Never in the history of our country has a President placed a muzzle on federal government information in order to insure he is re-elected.  This is what despots and dictators do, so watch out.

If you are a marketer, economist, human resource official, health or medical official (local, state or federal), a member of the mainstream media that relies on accurate information about the Corona Virus, I would refer you to the Corona Virus Social Media Dashboard to get a real-time "big picture" of what is going on right now as the Corona Virus infections and deaths increase. 

The Corona Virus Social Media Dashboard consolidates the data in the form of tweets appearing on the Twitter social network.  This data includes tweets from key Twitter influencers which cover and report on the Corona Virus. 

The Dashboard looks at all #hashtags like #CoronaVirus, #COVID19, #CDC, #FDA, #HHS, etc and consolidates them to form a graph like the one below.  As the volume of data (tweets and #hashtags) increases and added to the real-time graph a clearer picture starts to emerge.  As you can see from the graph below tweets about the Corona Virus are running at historic highs.  This is a Red Flag of the actuality of what is being reported by the public on Twitter.          

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If you are a marketer for a company that relies on imports from China where the Corona Virus originated, you are very much aware of how a pandemic of this magnitude can profoundly affect your bottom line, particularly if you cannot produce finished goods because you cannot get the needed parts or generate sales if you don't have the inventory on hand to meet consumer demand.  Already there is a run on surgical gloves, masks, gas masks, hand sanitizers and many other products originating from China, So Korea, Japan and Italy.

Entire industries have already been affected by the Corona Virus.   Travel has been hit hard.  The airlines, hospitality and cruise lines have been hit the hardest.  The airlines could lose $65-$113 billion this year.   The White House is discussing the possibility of providing financial support like Trump did for farmers hit by the imposition of tariffs against China. 

The novel Corona Virus continues to wreak havoc in the global technology industry.  Many companies have shut factories and banned business-related travel and major industry events like Facebook's F8, the Geneva Motor Show, Google I/O and Mobile World Congress continue to be called off because of the outbreak.  Apple's production of iPhones has been affected reducing the number of iPhones available to consumers.

The stock markets have all been affected as fears of the Corona Virus' affect on earnings have investors scrambling for safe havens like gold.  Particularly hard hit has been the Dow-Jones Industrial Average (DOW).  The DOW was at 29,551.42 on February 12.  By March 6, the DOW had dropped to 25,865.78.    

Courtesy of Pharmaceutical Technology's Corona Virus Social Media Dashboard, an FDA News Release dated February 4, 2020 for Emergency Use Authorization of Corona Virus Test Kit and an NBC News article dated March 4, 2020 titled "Officials Say Corona Virus Test Kits Are Here, But Where Are They?"

 

STANDDESK: A DESK FOR STANDING OR SITTING THAT PROMOTES BETTER POSTURE, GOOD HEALTH AND COSTS ONE-FOURTH SIMILAR DESKS

Scientific research has shown sitting all day is terrible for your health. (Click Image To Enlarge)

FIX YOUR POSTURE WITHOUT GOING TO THE CHIROPRACTOR BY STANDING AT YOUR DESK.

A standing desk is the centerpiece in the workspace of the future. Scientific research has shown--in myriad ways--that sitting down all day is so bad for you that it can increase your risk of cancer.

The adjustable standing desk allows you to mix up your posture throughout the day, but top models cost as much as $1,600. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Clearly, it’s time to ditch the office chair, but standing desks can get pricey, especially the adjustable kind, which let you mix sitting and standing throughout the day.

On Kickstarter, StandDesk's basic model costs less than $400. (Click Image To Enlarge)

The company has raised more than 10 times its funding goal since April 2014. (Click Image To Enlarge)

StandDesk, a new standing desk model being launched on Kickstarter (where it has raised more than 10 times its target since April), is a cheaper solution. The basic model, which has a simple automated system to raise and lower the desk at the touch of a button, starts at less than $400. Not quite as cheap as a cardboard desk, but not $1,600 either.

 

The creators say the lower price comes from designing a custom motor that doesn’t have as much extra lifting power as other standing desks. It’s only designed to lift 225 pounds--enough to hoist your computer and desk gadgets, though maybe don’t put every textbook you own on it. It’s a clean, simple design with no frills, just a smooth tabletop and a small control panel. Considering that I spend my days curled over my desk in a bizarre yoga pose called, “becoming one with the laptop,” I’m on board.

The desk raises and lowers at the touch of a button. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Clearly, it’s time to ditch the office chair. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Read more here.

COMMENTARY:   Steven Yu, the founder of StandDesk raised a total of $649,244 from 1,697 donors through Kickstarter.  The goal was to raise $50,000, but StandDesk raised over 12 times that.  Congrats to Steven Yu.  The first batch of pre-orders from the Kickstarter campaign are scheduled for delivery sometime in September 2014.    

According to the StandDesk website, you can still pre-order the StandDesk directly from them for $449.00 with FREE shipping.  Delivery in the fourth quarter 2014.  I assumed that these new pre-orders will be after the Kickstarter project donors receive theirs.  

I like what Yu is doing.  Let's just hope that he priced the StandDesk properly so they can generate a profit.  

Courtesy of an article dated May 12, 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design 

THIS IS YOUR BODY ON MARIJUANA -- A VIDEO BY VISUALLY

Came upon this video about the effects of marijuana on your brain.

Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

Courtesy of Visual.ly 

e-CIG MAKERS USE 'REBEL-W/O THE CONSEQUENCES' TV ADS TO PORTRAY e-CIG SMOKERS AS 'VAPORISTS' OR 'VAPES'

 

Actor Stephen Dorff's TV commercial for e-cigaratte brand Blu, acquired by Lorillard for a reputed $135 million in 2012, is typical of the new "rebel-without the consequences" cigarette smoker theme being used in TV commercials by e-cigarettes manufacturers. 

Addiction (and cred) without the consequences

On Saturday night at a pink-lit bar in New York's Lower East Side, the musician Aaron David Ross took a moment away from DJing his own party to evangelize a bit.

Between vaporous pulls of a dual-coil atomizer, Ross said.  

"Look, I'm like the vegetarian that won't leave you alone. Cigarettes are terrible for you."

Ross, who makes records under the name ADR and is one-half of the industrial duo Gatekeeper, held up his personal vaporizer.  Cylindrical and silver, it looked much more like an expensive piece of jewelry than a replacement for "analog" or traditional cigarettes, a stark contrast to the tobacco-aping NJOYs whose recent advertising campaign has focused on their ability to "look, taste, and feel just like a real cigarette."

Musician Aaron David Ross took a moment away from DJing his own party to portray himself as an e-cig 'vape' or 'vaporist' evangelist. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Ross and his friends, some wearing chains and black fitted caps, exhaled more odorless smoke than seemed reasonable for a human lung to hold.  They looked pretty cool, which is a feat — a friend of Ross', Mat Dryhurst, had earlier relayed that when he started vaping,

"My wife said she wouldn't have sex with me if I did this in public."

Ross turned back to his laptop, where he was playing an FKA Twigs track to celebrate his new mixtape, Cloud Chasing Vol. 1. It's ostensibly the "first collection of music for vapers, by vapers," and it was compiled by Ross and some of his e-cig enthusiast friends in honor of a symposium held at the art and technology center Rhizome this past weekend. By inviting a group of artists, academics, and enthusiasts to speak on the subject of the e-cigarette, Rhizome hoped to learn "what it means to ‘vape.'"

They couldn't have scheduled the panels for a better time: as recently as a few years ago, e-cigarette smoking was a relatively obscure habit. But with the industry still largely unregulated and projected to rake in a reported $1.5 billion in sales this year, the e-cig market has grown into a multi-tentacled beast. Just as the largely forum-based DIY "modding" scene gains serious traction, legislation is on the horizon for 2014. Meanwhile Big Tobacco, thanks to new lines of electronic products, has the opportunity to hawk its wares on television for the first time in 40 years. This is the Wild West of the Electronic Nicotine Delivery Device (ENDD), and it may not last very much longer in its current form.

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And so the panel, on which Ross and Dryhurst both spoke, was cheekily called "This is the ENDD." The event largely cast the e-cig debate's usual suspects — economic, health, and legislative issues — as the background to a number of cultural shifts. Which, because of the world we live in, largely came down to the way e-cigarettes have been marketed.

The e-cigarette industry has spent vast amounts of money and time making a once-dorky and counterintuitive idea — sucking on a metal device filled with nicotine juice and some of the same chemicals used in smoke machines — look desirable, fun, and edgy. This year at CES, Vapor Corp. hosted a party on the pool deck of the Marquee with plexiglass jacuzzis; as one of Rhizome's panelists pointed out, NJOY invited "influencers" to party with e-cigs in hand at the posh Jane Hotel last year, before New York City's former mayor, Michael Bloomberg, banned public indoor vaping.

Now, Courtney Love stars in an e-cig commercial ("Relax, It's a f**cking NJOY") and Stephen Dorff strikes rugged poses as a modern-day Marlboro Man for Blu, a brand that was acquired in 2012 for $135 million by Lorilard, one of the Big Three "analog" tobacco companies.

 

Health researcher and panelist CAB Fredericks notes Blu has even taken the recent indoor e-cig bans in select states as ammunition for those marketing campaigns, encouraging Blu customers to "fight back" against the man.

If some large e-cig companies like NJOY and Blu have rested their cred largely on the dont-tread-on-me, rebel-without-the-consequences feeling of retro Marlboro and Lucky Strike ads, others like the Reynolds-owned Vuse have churned out marketing materials that make their e-cigs sound less like smokes and more like iPads, with TV spots obliquely announcing "dreams, opportunities, the promise of new things to come."

Reynolds Vuse e-cigarette packaging reminds one of and Apple iPhone or iPad with its high-tech, sleek look. (Click Image To Enlarge)

According to Orit Gat, an art critic and Rhizome contributor, the schism between e-cigs marketed like gadgets and those marketed like cigarettes may be because "we're in a particular moment" in the development of the e-cigarette; "We're still not sure what they are," she said during her presentation, "or what we're supposed to do with them."

Gat, having recently spent time in Provence, France, flipped through slides of two smalle-clopinettes, small storefronts in which locals were encouraged to try the latest in e-cig technology. A sign above the display read, in French, "technology meets elegance." White-walled and minimalist, with battery packs and slim e-cigs displayed on a wall behind glass, the shops looked more like Apple Stores than smoke shops.

Her next set of slides, however, showed The Henley Vaporium in Nolita, where available e-cig flavors were written on a chalkboard pinned to an exposed brick wall. There, "vaporists" help you "hack" your e-cigs — "Whatever that means," Gat quipped — in a shop that shares more DNA with an artisinal coffee house than a hyper-clean technology store. She said.  

"The closer we get to e-cigs, the closer it is to a Whole Foods than an Apple Store."

ltria Group, which is the parent company to Philip Morris USA, introduced its first electronic cigarette -- MarkTen -- in August 2013.(AP Photo - Altria Group Inc.) (Click Image To Enlarge)

For Dryhurst, the idea of the e-cig as a lifestyle brand originates a bit closer to home. When he switched from regular cigarettes to e-cigs, he says he realized he'd have to go all the way to fully commit — he had to make his new device part of his "look." Dryhurst, a San Francisco-based artist, says something like the corporate Blu just wouldn't cut it — He says.  

"Blu cigarettes are the Coca-Cola of this culture.  They went out of fashion."

COMMENTARY:   Electronic cigarettes or 'e-cigs' are battery-operated devices that deliver nicotine via inhaled vapour. 

Removable cartridges contain glycerol or propylene glycol, flavouring, and varying amounts
of nicotine (including 0mg). The nicotine solution is vaporized by an atomizer which is
activated by 'drawing' on the device or pressing a button. 'Smoking' an electronic cigarette
(e-cigarette) mimics the act of smoking and is often referred to as 'vaping'.

Since their introduction into the market in 2004 by the Ruyan Group (later re-named
Dragonite) in China, e-cigarettes have gained popularity worldwide. The e-cigarette market
is rapidly growing and highly fragmented with over 100 different brands.  Its estimated
revenue at retail in the US in May 2012 was over $250 million and is expected to double by
the end of 2012.  Global e-cigarette revenues at the end of 2013 were estimated at $1.5 billion.

Product sophistication has also improved during this time, arguably augmenting nicotine
delivery. 'Tank' systems have been introduced which contain a fluid-filled reservoir rather
than a saturated foam (traditional non-tank cartridges). Users can mix their own 'liquid'
choosing from a range of flavours and strengths to refill cartridges.  Some e-cigarettes (e.g.
the Super & Mini kits from TECC) are moving to 'cartomizers' in which the cartridge and
atomizer are combined, allegedly resulting in a more efficient and tastier vape. Finally, since
different voltages affect the vaping experience, variable voltage are a recent power control
device that allow users to connect a range of atomizing devices and control the voltage that
is applied to the atomizer.

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Courtesy of an article dated February 25, 2014 appearing in The Verge

HOW PILLPACK REINVENTED THE PILLBOX WITH AN IDIOT-PROOF WAY FOR USERS TO REMEMBER WHEN TO TAKE YOUR MEDS

A startup originally accelerated within Ideo, PillPack is an end-to-end pharmacy and delivery service for pharmaceuticals that is using design to vastly simplify the process of swallowing pills each day. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Take all of the pills in your medicine cabinet that you have to track--the prescription drugs you need to remember to take two or three times a day, the multivitamins and fish liver pills you're not sure make a difference--and imagine that instead of all coming in separate bottles, they came packaged together in a pre-assorted, chronological ticker tape of medicine. Instead of keeping track of which medicines you need to take at which time, you just tear off a square packet from the roll and swallow all the pills inside.

You don't have to worry about pillboxes, reminders, or refills; PillPack takes care of all that for you. (Click Images To Enlarge)

This is the idea behind PillPack, a new service out of Somerville, Massachusetts, that aims to be the Amazon Prime of prescription medication.   PillPack is using design to vastly simplify the process of swallowing pills each day.  You don't have to worry about pillboxes, reminders, or refills; PillPack takes care of all that for you.  All you need to do is tear off the latest M&M Fun Size packet and swallow what's inside when it tells you to.

 

The system PillPack uses isn't new. Long-term care facilities have been getting medicine for their patients in easy-to-distribute, presorted rolls for years to make life easier for nurses who have to juggle the confusing motley of medications taken by dozens of patients multiple times per day.

All you need to do is tear off the latest M&M Fun Size packet and swallow what's inside when it tells you to.  (Click Image To Enlarge)

A long-term care pharmacy in Concord, New Hampshire--got swarmed with requests by friends and neighbors, who caught wind of the rolls of medication he was making for local medical facilities and started clamoring for him to put together pill packs for them, too.

Once you've signed up, PillPack will assemble your medication, presorting the medicines into individually sealed packets lined up chronologically; any interim medication you need while your first PillPack is being assembled is mailed overnight. You get new PillPacks every two weeks. (Click Image To Enlarge)

What makes the PillPack system so well designed is how idiot-proof it is. Getting started on PillPack is as easy as transferring your existing subscriptions from your local pharmacy: according to PillPack, the process takes less than five minutes. Once you've signed up, PillPack will assemble your medication, presorting the medicines into individually sealed packets lined up chronologically; any interim medication you need while your first PillPack is being assembled is mailed overnight. You get new PillPacks every two weeks. When you get your first shipment, all you do is tear off the first packet and swallow the pills inside at the date and time printed on the front. New PillPacks are automatically sent to you when you need them; four weeks before your last scheduled refill of a prescription, PillPack's pharmacists will follow up with your doctor for a renewal.

When you get your first shipment, all you do is tear off the first packet and swallow the pills inside at the date and time printed on the front. New PillPacks are automatically sent to you when you need them; four weeks before your last scheduled refill of a prescription, PillPack's pharmacists will follow up with your doctor for a renewal.  (Click Image To Enlarge)

Patienta should not have to worry about taking their meds as the date and time are printed on each packet.  Each packet is clearly printed with the medications inside. A label on the dispenser has images of the pill, with the name and instructions, so it's easy to know exactly what you're taking.

For now, PillPack is focusing on getting medicine to as many people's doors as possible--they still need pharmacy licensing in 19 states--but there's a lot of possibility for leveraging the data they have on patients to improve the PillPack experience. A dedicated app, says Parker, is the obvious next step, but there's also lot of excitement at PillPack about how they could integrate their service with future wearables such as the iWatch or Google Glass, such as by alerting customers when they haven't taken their pills.

PillPack works with most major insurance plans, and costs $20 per month on top of existing co-pays. At that price, says Parker, the service makes most sense for patients who take more than five pills a month, but even if you just need help remembering the aspirin a day, PillPack can help you keep the doctor away.

COMMENTARY:   I can definitely see how PillPack could become very popular among seniors.  It is very difficult for them to track their medications, and often miss their medications because they have to take so many of them, and often several times a day.  The ability to pack all medications into one pack and tell the patient the day and time to take those medications eliminates a lot of the worry.  PillPack also takes care of refills, scheduling them 8 weeks ahead of time, so that they are authorized by the doctor and can be filled promptly so that the patient never runs out.  PillPack claims that they work with all the major healthcare insurance companies and drugs covered by Medicate Plan D.  It costs the patient a flat $20.00 per month plus the co-pay from their insurance company.  This is a much better way to manage refills, and I can definitely see the day when PillPack becomes the Netflix of prescription drugs.  A one-stop place to refill all prescriptions, and know with absolute confidence that you will not miss your medications when you need to take them.  It's all good, and I see big things for this company. 

Courtesy of an article dated February 6, 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design

KITE: THE AMAZING SQUARE MOSQUITO REPELLANT STICKER, COULD END THE SPREAD OF MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES IN AFRICA

The Kite Patch acts like an impenetrable force field to keep mosquitos from biting people. (Click Image To Enlarge)

The Kite Patch is a little square sticker that emits a cloak of chemical compounds that block a mosquito's ability to sense humans. Image: ieCrowd

Mosquitos were born to bite us, and aside from lighting worthless tiki candles, haplessly swatting them away, or resorting to spraying toxic DEET all over ourselves, there’s really not a whole lot we can do about it. Imagine then, if you could be encapsulated in an anti-mosquito bubble simply by wearing a small square sticker. Not only would it save mosquito-magnets like myself some really uncomfortable moments, it could be a major game changer in the way we prevent mosquito-borne illnesses like Malaria, Dengue Fever, and West Nile Virus.

The Like Patch has one purpose: Make humans "invisible" to mosquitos (Click Image To Enlarge)

The good news is that a sticker like this is not some far away concept dreamed up by scientists in a lab–it’s actually a real thing that you’ll likely be able to find on the shelves of your local Walgreens sometime in the not-so-distant future.

The Kite Patch could be the solution to ending the spread of mosquito transmitted diseases like Malaria, Dengue Fever, West Nile Fever (Click Image To Enlarge)

Essentially, the Kite Patch is a little square sticker that emits a cloak of chemical compounds that blocks a mosquito’s ability to sense humans. According to its developers, users simply have to place the patch onto their clothes, and they become invisible to mosquitoes for up to 48 hours. This is big news for developing countries like Uganda, where residents have little beyond mosquito nets and toxic sprays to combat the illness-spreading insects.

Olfactor Laboratories developed non-toxic compounds that work against mosquitoes' long-range abilities to detect humans through CO2, as well as dampening the bug’s short-range ability to sense us from our basic human odors. Image courtesy of Olfactor Laboratories (Click Image To Enlarge)

That’s exactly where Kite’s creators, a collaborative team made up of innovation venture capital group ieCrowd and Olfactor Laboratories, intend to ship these off to as soon as they’re done blowing past their second goal on global crowdsourcing site Indiegogo. Launched just last month, the campaign surpassed its original goal of $75,000 in just four days and is now gunning for a new goal of $385,000 (currently at $336,000).

 

Though the Kite seems a little fantastical, it’s backed by some legitimate technology. Back in 2011, Dr. Anandasankar Ray, an entomologist at the University of California, Riverside (and founder of Olfactor Labs), found that certain chemical compounds can inhibit the carbon dioxide receptors in mosquitoes. These smelly compounds, which act like a anti-mosquito force field, are able to disorient the bugs, whose main method of tracking down humans is through our exhalation of CO2.

A scientist testing the chemical compounds in the Kite Patch. Image courtesy of Olfactor Laboratories. (Click Image To Enlarge)

The findings were considered a breakthrough moment in the field, but the technology was far from ready to be applied to a consumer product mostly because the compounds were toxic and wouldn’t be able to pass through FDA and EPA approval.  Grey Frandsen, Vice President at ieCrowd explains.  

“It wasn’t ready to be placed into a product that could mean something globally.” 

The hand on the left shows how mosquitos react to the Kite Patch not containing the mosquito repellant compounds, and the hand on the right shows that mosquitos are repelled as a result of the repellant compounds in the Kite Patch. (Click Image To Enlarges)

That’s where his company came in.

ieCrowd basically functions as the belt of an innovation assembly line, guiding an idea through the necessary steps so it can become a widely distributed, (hopefully) world-changing product.  It begins with acquiring the intellectual property, like they did with Dr. Ray’s research. From there they provide all of the business infrastructure, marketing, and general support so subsidiary companies can focus exclusively on developing new technology.   In the case of the Kite Patch, ieCrowd worked with a group of scientists at Olfactor Laboratories, a research facility in Riverside, Calif. that developed a new targeted library of chemical compounds based on Dr. Ray’s original research.

Olfactor’s non-toxic compounds work against mosquitoes’ long-range abilities to detect humans through CO2, as well as dampening the insect’s short-range ability to sense us from our basic human odors.  These chemicals, which give off a “faint pleasant smell,” will be applied to a small sticker, which Frandsen notes is the cheapest, easiest, and most adaptable way to design a spatial insect repellant. The patches will then be shipped off to Uganda for field testing, which should begin before the end of the year. Frandsen says of ieCrowd’s method.

“Really, what we’re doing is creating a rapid scientific development process, a rapid prototyping process and then a very aggressive go to market strategy.” 

The Kite Patch needed to be affordable, adaptable and easy to use, which is why it was designed as a square sticker. Image by ieCrowd.  (Click Image To Enlarge)

The product has had a little help along the way, namely from the National Institutes of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Frandsen says.

“The big names behind us have helped us advance the science.  But those grants do not cover product development.”

All of the money raised from the Indiegogo campaign will be funneled into extensive field testing. Originally, the testing was going to provide 20,000 patches (around 1 million hours of coverage) to one district in Uganda. The extra money raised will double the number of Kite Patches shipped and expand the coverage to four million hours in three political districts in the country.

The idea is to refine the Kite as much as possible during the field testing and hone in on three main goals:  

• Analyze the adaptability of the patch.  
  • Is it easy to apply and wear? 
  • Does it work well both at morning and at night? 
  • Does it fall off people’s clothing at after a certain point? 
• Test the effectiveness of the technology in harsh conditions found in places like Sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists have yet to determine exactly how far the sticker’s spatial radius extends and will be looking to see how it reacts to wind and extreme weather. 
• Begin field testing to evaluate how the sticker interacts with and can supplement current malaria prevention technology like bed nets.

Frandsen says.

“We’re looking at: What are any shortfalls specifically relating to the design that we can solve for that don’t come from testing it with 100 people in the Canadian Rockies or in Florida?  So there’s this real life, real world use and evaluation of that.”

The Kite has reportedly performed well inside the highly-controlled confines of a lab, but Frandsen says the most vital evaluation will come from the Kite Patch’s time in Africa.  He says of the extensive field testing. 

“It’s a really unique way of doing product development.  It’s a lot easier to deal in private-equity markets or investments and just finish it.”

But, he continues,

“This technology is too important to just funnel directly to the Walgreens. It needs to be part and parcel of people’s daily lives all over the world.”

You can donate to the Kite Patch campaign on Indiegogo.

COMMENTARY:    The Kite Patch is a no-brainer that is destined to become a game changer.   The Kite Patch is a product that screams for capital to speedup the research needed to test the patch's adaptability, efficacy and begin field testing.  I say the faster the better.  The Kite Patch is needed right now, especially in tropical countries of the world where mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria, kill millions of people each year.  

Courtesy of an article dated August 16, 2013 appearing in Wired 

 

HOW A VC-FUNDED NON-PROFIT WITH A MOBILE APP CALLED 'GLOW' USES VAST QUANTITIES OF RAW DATA TO HELP WOMEN GET PREGNANT

Glow Welcome screen (Click Image To Enlarge)

RATHER THAN TACKLING SMALL PROBLEMS LIKE LAUNDRY, GLOW, CREATED BY GOOGLE AND PAYPAL VETERANS, AIMS TO HELP PARENTS DISCOVER THEIR FERTILITY WINDOW AND BECOME CREATORS THEMSELVES.

When Mike Huang and his wife were having difficulties conceiving a child, they didn't know where to turn. Infertility is an issue affecting roughly 1 in 8 couples according to the National Infertility Association, yet most of the programs that offered assistance were costly, often considered elective treatments. What's worse, the tools that track the techniques used to improve chances of conception--from tracking ovulation to assuming certain positions--were antiquated at best. Huang told Fast Company with an air of disbelief.

"I was writing all this stuff down on a piece of paper." 

Glow asks users information about their menstrual, fertility and normal cycle start date, average period in days and average cycle length (Click Image To Enlarge

Glow then maps out the users menstrual, fertility and normal cycles in a calendar based on the data they entered (Click Image To Enlarge)

Glow displays a Thank You message which shows how many users have logged in and used the app (Click Image To Enlarge)

Huang, formerly of Slide and Google, knew this was a problem worth solving, and today, he launched his solution: Glow. Founded along with PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, Glow is an iPhone app designed to "crunch the data [that] better informs women of their fertility window." By tracking data from its users and community, and offering personalized recommendations and statistics, the founders of Glow believe they've built a smarter process for assisting women and couples attempting to conceive children. But perhaps more compelling than the company's app is its Glow First service, a novel, pay-it-forward-type alternative to traditional health care.

Glow also displays a screen showing how many individuals gave contributions to Glow and the totall amount given so far (Click Image To Enlarge)

Glow also displays the user activty during the month and prior months (Click Image To Enlarge)

Glow users can also update their profile data in a Daily Log screen (Click Image To Enlarge)

Glow useres can also update their menstrual, fertility and normal cycle periods on a separate sreen.jpg

First, the Glow app. When I sit down with Huang and Levchin over omelets and coffee, the two explained that "machine learning and data science" can better help people throughout the fertility process. The app itself is simple. As one begins the fertility process, Glow helps track your progress through a sharp user interface. You input your data manually into the service, and Glow offers guidance on the process.

Glow users can also update their profile data in a Daily Log screen (Click Image To Enlarge)

Glow maintains a Daily Plan the users can refer to for things they have to do to maintain their menstrual and fertility health (Click Image To Enlarge)

 Glow screenshot of the Daily Plan (Click Image To Enlarge)

Levchin says the manual data entry isn't ideal, and promises that it will become more streamlined and perhaps automated in the future, as wearable devices that measure body temperature and other metrics become less expensive and more mainstream. (He also stresses the stringent privacy measures put in place, contending his background in the financial services space made the program more secure than protecting your credit card information.)

 

Still, while it's a compelling product going after what Levchin says is a "$5 billion" infertility market. It's also not alone. There are a number of services like Kindara that offer analytics and advice to help aid in conception. But with a talented team and $6 million in funding from Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz, it's at least refreshing to see a startup focus on an actual problem--as opposed to the everyday annoyances that Silicon Valley companies are often targeting like laundry (see: Prim). And longer term, Huang and Levchin see opportunity to extend the data tracking experience for families, post-pregnancy.

 

But perhaps most interesting is Glow First, a non-profit fund that the founders say is a more modern, almost altruistic take on traditional health care insurance. It's designed to "offset the high cost of fertility treatments," if Glow's process does not work. The idea is that those attempting to conceive using the Glow app would pay $50 each month for 10 months into a pool. If attempts were unsuccessful by the end of that period, then participants would gain access to that pool of funds to assistant in further fertility treatment. For those who were successful, they'd essentially be donating their funds over that period for the greater good--in this case, those women or couples who were less fortunate in their attempts.

Levchin, who first unveiled the service several months ago at the D conference, has personally contributed $1 million to jump-start the Glow First fund.

[Download it here.]

COMMENTARY:   Finally a healthcare app that really helps women deal with their very special needs pertaining to fertility and pregnancy.  The fact that Glow co-founders Huang and Levchin are solving a very real problem in the marketplace, is a huge plus.  The company is also a non-profit which requires users to make $50 monthly contributions for nine months to help them tackle the problem of fertility.  All the money contributed goes into a "central money pool" that is in turn used to help those without the necessary funds, tackle the financial issues dealing with fertility.  That's a huge social mission when one deals with the rising costs of healthcare and fertility.   Glow did raise $6 million in VC funding from Andreesen Horowitz and Founders Fund, so this gives the company a lot of validity.  This is not just another flash-in-pan app that plays games, but solves a human healthcare problem. 

Courtesy of an article dated August 8, 2013 appearing in Fast Company

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEMS DEVELOPS FIRST ROBOT THAT USES UV RAYS TO DISINFECT HOSPITAL ROOMS

Hospitals are synonymous with cleanliness and now Loyola University Health System is the first academic medical center in Illinois to take disinfection to futuristic levels. Nicknamed "Ralph" by the housekeeping staff at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital and "little Joe" at Loyola University Medical Center, 3-foot upright cylindrical robots provide the finishing touches to room sanitation. A rotating telescopic head emits cidal ultraviolet (UV) rays for 15 minutes in closed, unoccupied rooms to systematically kill germs dead.

Sasha Madison R.N. Manager Infection Control with the Xenex machine at the Stanford Hospital and Clinics on Monday, April 29, 2013 (Click Image To Enlarge)

Jorge Parada, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, medical director, Infection Control Program, Loyola University Health System says. 

"Loyola is a world leader in infection control and now the addition of automated room disinfection reinforces our ongoing commitment to patient safety.  Loyola is doing everything humanly possible to control disease and that includes robotics."

A Loyola University Health System UV ray robot extends its head to reveal an array of UV light lamps which kill germs in hospital rooms (Click Image To Enlarge)

According to studies, the disinfection robots eliminate Clostridium difficile (C. diff) in less than 4 minutes and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in less than 2 minutes.  Alex Tomich, DNP, RN, CIC, manager, infection prevention and control at Loyola says.

"The robots are used for further disinfection in the operating suites and patient rooms including isolation, burn and transplant.  Loyola takes very seriously its responsibility to protect patients, visitors and our hospital staff from infections and we are early adopters of proven technology as well as best practices."

A Loyola University Health System UV ray robot with its head extended as it radiates UV rays to kill germs in hospital rooms (Click Image To Enlarge)

The hospital housekeeping staff cleans the rooms and then uses the robots for additional sterilization. The pulsed UV light destroys viruses, bacteria and bacterial spores without human contact or use of chemicals.

Hospital infections are linked to approximately 100,000 deaths each year and add as much as $30 billion a year in medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COMMENTARY:    The UV ray disinfectant robots are part of a new trend in high-tech cleaning that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect.  In April 2013, Stanford Hospital began using the Xenox model developed by Loyola University Health Systems to kill microorganisms with pulses of UV light that irreparably damage cells.

Ultraviolet light is up to 20 times better at disinfecting than the usual cleaners like bleach and ammonia, according to the Texas company that makes the robots, Xenex, although janitors still scrub surfaces with chemicals before turning on the robots at Stanford.

Each robot costs about $80,000 and looks a little like R2D2, with a UV strobe light that rises when in use. Stanford is the first hospital in the Bay Area to employ the technology, using it to clean patient rooms after people with especially contagious or drug-resistant conditions have been discharged. At night, Frost and Dazzler disinfect operating rooms.

Because UV light can harm eyes and skin, hospital workers stay out of the rooms and behind closed doors when the strobe lights are flashing. The germ-zapping process takes between five and 15 minutes.

Sasha Madison, manager of infection prevention and control at Stanford Hospital, said she's monitoring the medical center's infection rates this year to determine how effective the disinfecting robots are, but results from other hospitals have been promising.

There are dozens of similar but less powerful UV disinfecting devices available to the public. Handheld wands, vacuums and air purifiers promise to disinfect cell phones, makeup brushes and cutting boards - plus kill bedbugs. Prices range from $30 to $300.

Madison said the UV technology is important for hospitals, where patients are "the sickest of the sick" and have weakened immune systems. However, she said the technology might not be necessary for most American homes, where most people's immune systems "are in pretty good shape."

Courtesy of an article dated July 24, 2013 appearing in Robotic Trends and an article dated May 15, 2013 appearing in the San Francisco Chronicle

HOW TIKUN OLAM, AN ISRALI COMPANY, GROWS MEDICAL MARIJUANA WHICH DOESN'T GET YOU HIGH, BUT RETAINS ALL THE MEDICAL BENEFITS

MOTTO:  "This is the GOD'S doing ; it's marvelous in our eyes​​"

Situated in an undisclosed location near Tzfat, northern Israel, is a government-approved medical marijuana plantation which was founded in 2004 by a retired biology teacher. Named Tikun Olam, the plantation has created a new cannabis strain which contains very low traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main constituent in cannabis responsible for making people feel "stoned". By virtually eliminating THC in the new strain, Tikun Olam can now offer the drug's medicinal benefits to those patients who wish to keep a clear head.

Tikun Olam began operations in 2004 on a small scale by a retired biology teacher (Click Image To Enlarge)

Tikun Olam is situated in a secret location somewhere near Tzfat in northern Israel (Click Image To Enlarge)

The Tikun Olam facility includes a 11,000 sq meter growing field, several greenhouses, a cloning facility and a harvesting facility (Click Image To Enlarge)

Marijuana contains over 60 constituents named cannabinoids and though THC is the most famous due to its psychoactive effects, another important constituent is cannabidiol (CBD).

 

CBD is believed by some researchers to offer anti-inflammatory benefits, thus offering the potential to relieve pain without making patients intoxicated, if the THC-to-CBD concentrations can be correctly balanced.

The new cannabis strain offers the drug's medicinal benefits to patients who do not wish to feel intoxicated (Click Image To Enlarge)

Some researchers believe CBD may produce anti-inflammatory effects in patients, resulting in the potential to relieve pain without making patients intoxicated (Click Image To Enlarge)

Some daily users of medical marijuana find it a hindrance to performing every day activities (Click Image To Enlarge)

The new strain of marijuana created at Tikun Olam does just that. Dubbed Avidekel, it contains less than one percent THC, compared to the company's most popular strain Erez, which contains 23 percent THC. Avidekel couples this with an increased concentration of CBD, said to be almost 16 percent. How real-world use of Avidekel compares to existing medical marijuana products designed to limit intoxication, such as the under the tongue spray Sativex, is still unclear.

Although many patients feel the intoxicating effects of THC to be a beneficial element of medical marijuana use, others find it a hindrance to performing every day activities and so welcome the opportunity to take the marijuana while maintaining sobriety.

One of the ten patients to make use of the Avidekel strain in the last six months, while speaking to Reuters said.

"It's a huge advantage.  I can smoke during the day, function with a lot less pain and still be focused, work and drive. It is a great gift."

Recreational use of cannabis is prohibited under Israeli law, however the drug is currently used medically to treat roughly 9,000 people suffering from illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease.

The promotional video below sheds more light on the Tikun Olam plantation.

 

COMMENTARY:  

About Tikun Olam

Tikun Olam is the first and foremost supplier of medical Cannabis in Israel and the flag bearer for the medical use of Cannabis in Israel.

Since the day of its founding the company has stood for dedicated quality care for its patients while developing professional standards for growing medical grade Cannabis.

In the field of production – emphasis is put on special methods which focus on increasing production of the active ingredient (mainly THC and CBD) so that medical grade plants may be grown.

The medical Cannabis is produced in a careful and sterile way, beginning with the stages of planting, harvesting, processing and until it reaches the patient.

In the field of treatment – the company has developed a unique treatment method (on a global scale) which views treatment with medical Cannabis as a central part of a caring, compassionate and humane treatment for its patients who are coping with a terrible disease, whether chronic or terminal.

Ti​kun Olam has vast accumulated experience (perhaps the most extensive in the world) in personal instruction of patients in safe and effective use of medical Cannabis.

Over the years Tikkun Olam has initiated and maintained cooperation and working relations with doctors, scientists, department heads, nursing facilities and other medical institutes in Israel and abroad.

The company continuously strives to increase awareness among the patients, doctors and the general public.

The company’s facilities (growing and processing) are located in the northern part of the country and are secured according to the highest standards.

In 2007 the Ministry of Health gave license to the Cohen family to grow approximately 50 plants for patients who were given permits for the use of medical Cannabis, all on a voluntary basis.

Half of their home in [unclear] became a greenhouse for the growing and processing the medication and simultaneously the system for treatment and dispensing began to form.

The treatment with Cannabis gained momentum, both because of the high quality of the treatment and immediate feedback from patients and because of the media campaign which the Foundation and the patients embarked on.

During this time (in September 2009) Channel 2 aired the documentary film “Grass by doctor’s orders” directed by Tzach Klein and hosted by television presenter and journalist Avri Gilad.

In 2010, by decision of the Ministry of Health and after five deliberations at the Knesset’s Labor Welfare and Heath Committee, a monthly cost of 360 NIS per patient was set. (Today the price is 370 NIS).

In light of this decision Tikkun Olam Ltd. has opened the first store in Israel for the sale and distribution of medical Cannabis and its products to those possessing legal permits.

The store was opened at 138 Ibn Gabirol St. in Tel Aviv, and to this day it is the only store of its kind in Israel.

In 2012 the company was granted a standards association mark, the first of its kind, ISO 9001 in the field of growing, production, sale and distribution of medical Cannabis and instructing patients.

Tikun Olam's moto is:  "This is the GOD'S doing ; it's marvelous in our eyes​​"

What is Medical Marijuana

Cannabis is a plant with unique medical properties, and refers to the parts of the plant which are used in medicine.

The medical grade is determined by several factors: 

• Manner of organic growing. 
• Maintaining a high concentration of active ingredients. 
• Hybridizing while performing continuous laboratory examinations. 
• Matching and designating various strains to various diseases together with the patient.

Until the 1930’s medications which contained extracts of the plant were part of the world’s pharmacopeia, only in 1937 was medical use of Cannabis in the United States halted.

In Europe, medical use of Cannabis products continued until the early 1970’s.

The plant contains more than 462 substances, from which more than 100 cannabinoids, flavonoids and terpenoids have been identified.

Most famous among the cannabinoids is the THC, which was first identified and isolated in 1964 at the Weisman Institute by Professors Yehiel Gaoni and Rephael Mechoulam, who received the Israel Prize for his research of Cannabis.

Different strains of Cannabis contain different concentrations and ratios of the active ingredients.

 

How Marijuana Affects The Brain

Click Image To Enlarge

Diseases and Medical Conditions Benefiting From Cannibus

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• ALS
• Anxiety
• Appetite
• Fibromyalgia
• Nausea
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Arthritis
• Pain
• Sleep
• Crohn's Disease
• Tremor
• HIV
• Alzheimer Disease
• Tourette
• Parkinson

Cannibus Strains

Tikun Olam is focused on the unique methods to increase production of the active ingredients, and especially THC - CBD in order to grow standard medicinal plants.

Medicinal cannabis is produced in a very careful and sterile, from the stage of planting, harvesting and processing until it reaches the patient.

The company's researchers have created the following medicinal cannibus strains:

• Indica Strains - This cannibus class consists of four different strains.
  • EREZ - ​This Strain is composed of 70% Indica 30% Sativa, responds to a wide range of symptoms and illnesses.  This species was developed by Tikun Olam, in its early years, and is named after the first patient.
  • ERAN ALMOG - This Strainis composed of 80% Indica 20% Sativa.
    
  • DORIT - This Strainis is composed of 70% Indica 30% Sativa.  This Strainis was named in the name of Dorit Cohen, the mother of "Tikun Olam".
  • GOG y MAGOG - This Strain is is composed of 70% Indica 30% Sativa.
    
  • LITTLE DEVIL - This Strain is is composed of 70% Indica 30% Sativa.
    
  • JASMIN - This Strain is is composed of 70% Indica 30% Sativa.
    
  • OR - This Strainis is composed of 70% Indica 30% Sativa.
    
• Sativa Strains - This cannibus class consists of three different strains.
  • ALASKA - This Strainis is composed of 70% sativa 30% Indica.
  • MINDATE - This Strainis contains 12% of CBD and 12% THC​, and is composed primarily of Sativa.
  • AL-NA - This Strain is is composed of 70% sativa 30% Indica.
• CBD Strains - This cannibus class consists of two different strains.
  • AVIDEKEL - This Sativa Strain contains 16% CBD without any THC.
  • RAFAEL - This Sativa Strain contains 18% CBD and 1% THC.

Products ​

Tikun Olam is focused on the unique methods to increase production of the active ingredients, and especially THC - CBD in order to grow standard medicinal plants.

An array of Tikun Olam products (Click Image To Enlarge)

Medicinal cannabis is produced in a very careful and sterile, from the stage of planting, harvesting and processing until it reaches the patient.

• Smoking Substitutes - Consumption of medical cannabis in the gut (or through the mucous membranes of the mouth) is much slower and changing from one person that change also depends on the "state" of the stomach during use (full / empty, etc..), Therefore, it is more difficult to control the dosage and without the need many careful attempts to obtain effective, and thus consumption, is recommended for patients not want to smoke or can not physically do it (mental difficulties, if any, to be overcome in training).
  • Cannabis Oil Drops - Medical cannabis extract based on olive oil.
  • Cannabis Powder - Medical cannabis flowers ground and filtered.
  • Capsules - Capsules filled with medical cannabis flowers ground and filtered.
  • Powder oil - Medical cannabis oil available in 1/2/3 grams which contains about 30% THC.
• Delicacies - Cannabis Consumption hrough the gut (or through the mucous membranes of the mouth) is much slower and varies from one person to another, also depends on the "state" of the stomach during use (full / empty, etc..).
  • Chocolate Praline - Fine dairy chocolate made with medical cannabis butter and containing about 40 mg/g THC.
    
  • Pastries - Based on medical cannabis butter and available in several sizes and dosages.
    
  • Tahini Cookies - Organic tahini based on medical cannabis butter and containing 13.5 mg / g THC. 
• Special Products - Cannabis Consumption hrough the gut (or through the mucous membranes of the mouth) is much slower and varies from one person to another, also depends on the "state" of the stomach during use (full / empty, etc..)).
  • Toffee - Toffee sweets based on medical cannabis extract and containing 2mg/g THC.
    
  • Gum - Sweet and sour gum filled with medical cannabis extract and containing 2 mg/g THC. 
    
  • Honey​ - Fine honey based on medical cannabispowder and containing 10.3 mg/g THC.
    
  • Sugar - Brown and white sugar based on medical cannabis powder and containing 7.1 mg/g THC.
    
  • Ointment - Based on herbal ointment medical cannabis for external use and containing about 0.4% THC.
    

Courtesy of an article dated July 6, 2012 appearing in GizMag