Exploring the Boundaries of Medication in Pain Management & Harnessing the Vast Potential of Medical Technology and Artificial Intelligence
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By Sarah Amouyal Brunet, Deeptech Expert
What is going on?
Chronic pain impacts over 1.5 billion individuals globally, leading to extensive and far-reaching repercussions that touch upon aspects such as employment, educational prospects, interpersonal relationships, and overall physical and mental health. Today, there are various methods for addressing this pain, with medications being the prevailing conventional approach, but it may not always offer the most optimal solution. It is essential to explore the potential of medical devices, artificial intelligence, and innovative startups in the realm of pain management.
What does it mean?
Pain is a universal human phenomenon. Its epidemiology is complex and diverse with numerous factors that collectively contribute to its widespread occurrence and effects. These factors encompass access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, and cultural interpretations of pain.
Chronic pain has emerged as a significant global health challenge due to the aging population, with conditions such as arthritis, neuropathic pain, and fibromyalgia contributing to the global burden of chronic pain. The enduring nature of chronic pain can have profound implications for an individual's quality of life, often resulting in disability, depression, and decreased productivity. These consequences can, in turn, exert societal and economic effects.
Efficient pain management involves an holistic approach aimed at alleviating or controlling pain, enhancing the patient's overall quality of life, and addressing underlying causes when feasible. Historically, medications have frequently played a role in pain management, encompassing over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, as well as prescription medications such as opioids and antidepressants.
Why does it matter?
The use of medications comes with its constraints:
Tolerance and dependence: These issues have been evident in the opioid crisis, but they have long been recognized with substances like morphine and numerous antidepressants.
Side effects: Ranging from mild to severe, finding the delicate balance between pain relief and side effects can be a formidable task.
Limited efficacy: Pain medications don’t uniformly demonstrate the same effectiveness for all types of pain.
Risk of overuse: As efficacy diminishes over time, patients may be tempted to escalate their doses or misuse pain medications.
Hence, contemporary pain management should extend beyond the realm of medications alone, incorporating a comprehensive approach that involves physical therapy, psychological support, and lifestyle adjustments. In this context, medical devices and AI could play a significant role in the field of pain management.
💸For markets:
One of the key factors driving the global market is the increasing elderly population worldwide. In 2018, there were approximately 991 million individuals aged 60 and older, a number anticipated to reach 1.18 billion by 2024. Given the notably higher occurrence of chronic pain among older adults, the global demand for pain management medications is on a continuous ascent.
The global pain management drugs market is categorized by drug class, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anesthetics, anticonvulsants, antimigraine agents, antidepressants, opioids, and others. Opioids currently hold the dominant position in this market segment. Key players in the pain drugs market include Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly & Company, Endo International plc, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Bausch Health Companies, Merck & Co. Inc., Allergen Inc., Novartis International AG, Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and Purdue Pharma L.P.
As of 2022, the global pain management drugs market reached a size of US$ 67.8 billion. Looking ahead, the IMARC Group anticipates the market to expand to US$ 85.3 billion by 2028, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8% during the period from 2023 to 2028.
In the realm of medical devices for pain treatments, while it may be smaller in size, it is exhibiting rapid growth. The market was valued at USD 6.92 billion in 2022 and is projected to experience a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5% from 2023 to 2030.
🧑🏿🤝🧑🏻For society:
As mentioned previously, the global increase in the elderly population has heightened the focus on enhancing quality of life, with pain management emerging as a central concern for society.
Medications alone are not a panacea for reducing and effectively managing pain. Instead, let's shift our attention to startups that offer innovative solutions aimed at improving societal well-being.
1. Pain Assessment
Kipuwex, a Finnish company, has introduced a compact wireless IoT device designed to continuously monitor various physiological parameters in patients. It then employs an algorithm to convert this data into pain-related information, delivering highly reliable measurements for both healthcare professionals and home users. This device proves especially valuable for patients who cannot communicate, such as infants, children, or individuals with neurological or mental disorders. In addition, Kipuwex has developed the PainCARER mobile app in Finnish, enabling individuals experiencing pain to document, monitor, and evaluate their pain episodes. This data can be readily shared with healthcare professionals.
2. Pain Management after Surgery
Sword Health is on a mission to free two billions people from physical pain through more personalised musculoskeletal offerings, from preventon to post surgical care. This company has developed app also as Predict, Digital Physical Therapy, or Bloom. Founded in 2015, the portuguese company has raised $325.5 million accross 9 funding rounds.
HypnoVR is a german medical device combining the benefits of medical hypnosis with virtual reality, founded by anesthesiologists and hyponotists. HypnoVR has demonstrated its effectiveness in treating pain and anxiety through 18 clinical studies : postoperative length of stay divided by 3.57 and 45% reduction in morphone consumption. Now this solution is avaialable in operating rooms in many healthcare centers, but also, in dentistry, and medical imaging. HypnoVR has raised €6 million in funding.
3. Pain Management Utilizing Neuromodulation Technologies
Remedee Labs has pioneered an innovative non-pharmaceutical solution aimed at addressing osteoarthritis, a joint ailment characterized by cartilage degradation and intense pain. Osteoarthritis affects approximately 10% of men and 13% of women aged 60 or older worldwide, with no existing medications to halt its progression or provide a cure. Remedee's method integrates millimeter-wave neuromodulation technology, emitting waves at a 60 GHz frequency. These waves stimulate subcutaneous nerve endings, leading to the production of endorphins and other neuromediators. In 2022, the company secured over $25 million in funding.
Brazos Biomedical, a U.S.-based startup, offers a wearable, holocephalic medical device that electrically stimulates trigeminal and occipital nerves to alleviate migraine pain. This non-invasive treatment option holds promise for addressing this often underserved medical condition.
Nalu Medical, also based in the U.S., specializes in the development of implantable medical devices designed as adjunctive therapy for individuals experiencing chronic pain in the trunk or limbs. The startup additionally provides an External Trial Stimulator (ETS) for conducting Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) trials before the permanent device implantation. The spinal cord stimulation system intercepts and masks pain signals before they reach the brain. This compact device, resembling a pacemaker, administers electrical pulses to the spinal cord, facilitating better management of chronic pain and reducing the reliance on opioid medications.
The Finnish startup Sooma manufactures devices for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders such as depression and chronic pain. Their tDCS-enabled electrical stimulator integrates with a therapy management platform, allowing healthcare professionals to remotely monitor and oversee patients' treatment progress.
4. Pain Management with Medical Device including Natural Medicine
Daye is a London based started focused on treating period pain, an area of pain management that is under-researched, under or mis-diagnonsed and undertreated. The company has developed a tampon that uses pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids, CBD, to help to tackle period cramps (or dysmenorrhea) as an alternative to traditional painkillers. Since 2019, Daye has secured $18.7 million in funding.
5. Pain Management with Personalized Support in App
Hale in an app, providing accessible and personalized support for those suffering from genito-pelvic pain related to conditions such as vulvodynia, endometriosis, and vaginismus. It included a personalised plan for specific symptoms, a support community, and progress tracking. It includes also pain eduction, resources as streching, breathing techniques, and monthly group call. Founded in 2022 in Berlin, the company has raised $350k in pre-seed funding.
Kaia Health, founded in 2026, is a german/US company, and the world’s largest digital therapuetics company (with over 65,000 users) delivering evidence based treatments for muskuloskeletal pain. This disease affects 1 in 2 adult in the US, yet only 10% of these people will see a physical therapist. Even those seeking in-person physical therapy often struggle when they get home without real-time support and guidance. The company pioneered the application of computer vision and AI in physical therapy with the Motion Coach app, enabling it to give specific feedback that improves exercise form and therapy effectivess. In 11 clinial trials, Kaia’s solution have shown to be as good as traditional care, with up to 80% reduction in cost. Lat month the company launched Angela, AI-powered voice-based digital care assistant, companion, and guide. The company has raised $123 million in funding.
🔮What’s next?
Pain management poses inherent complexity due to the personal and subjective nature of pain, making precise measurement challenging. Additionally, addressing chronic pain is often optimal when identifying and treating its source, although this is not always feasible. Furthermore, pain is a universal experience that affects individuals to varying degrees throughout their lives.
Medical devices have the potential to offer innovative solutions, either complementing or even replacing traditional medications. However, managing pain with medical devices introduces its own set of complexities:
Selecting the appropriate medical device tailored to a patient's specific pain condition can be intricate.
Adequate training and expertise are essential for both healthcare providers and patients to effectively use these devices.
Some medical devices can be costly, limiting accessibility.
Ensuring patient compliance and comprehensive understanding of device usage and maintenance is crucial.
Devices often require ongoing maintenance.
Achieving optimal pain relief may necessitate multiple adjustments to fine-tune device settings.
Securing insurance coverage for medical devices can be challenging, impacting affordability.
Addressing these challenges calls for a multidisciplinary approach, involving collaboration among healthcare providers, device manufacturers, and patients, to ensure the safe and effective management of pain using medical devices.
✨ That’s all for today. Thanks for reading !
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