5 top stories that mattered for medtech in 2018

Medtech combats the opioid crisis

[Image from The.Comedian on Flickr]

With opioids killing tens of thousands of Americans a year, the Cleveland Clinic has predicted that alternative pain therapies will be a top disruptor out of medtech in 2019.

From cryoablation to neurostimulation to non-invasive pulsed magnetic energy, there are a host of technologies out there to treat pain. There’s also the rise of pharmacogenomics – the study of how genes will affect a person’s response to drugs.

In other news, Opiant Pharmaceuticals – the maker of Narcan nasal spray to treat opioid overdoses – is developing a stronger nalmefene nasal spray to combat overdoses involving fentanyl.

Medical professionals in the past have been slow to realize that there are alternative technologies out there. Perhaps 2019 will be the year that the situation truly changes?