Summary: The 2.3% medical device tax is burdensome. Regulatory timelines are long (and expensive). Reimbursement is not only decreasing, but also incredibly hard to obtain. Venture capitalists are losing interest in early stage medical device deals. Is it all downhill for medtech? There is no doubt the current healthcare environment is challenging. But certainly not impossible! Case in point: Intersect ENT. This startup medtech company is well-funded as evidenced by their recent series C round of financing. They were able to get regulatory approval for a “device + drug” combination product. And perhaps most impressive, they are actually expanding their sales force! In this interview with Lisa Earnhardt, President and CEO of Intersect ENT, we learn how this medical device startup company is succeeding despite the strong headwinds within the medtech space. Here's What You Will Learn - Can ENT companies steal the drug-eluting stent playbook from the cardiology space?- How is Intersect’s Propel device different than traditional balloon sinuplasty?- Was the regulatory pathway for the Propel device more difficult because of the “device + drug” combination?- Are otolaryngology (ENT) doctors early adopters? How do they compare to cardiologists andvascular surgeons?- What has been the biggest challenge to increased adoption of the Propel device?- Did Intersect ENT consider launching their medical devices with an indirect sales force?- What are the exit strategies for Intersect ENT? Could the company actually go public?- How important are large strategic medtech companies in terms of providing capital for start-up medical device companies?- Lisa’s opinion of the top-line 2.3% medical device excise tax.- How will medtech companies need to change considering the strong headwinds of longer regulatory timelines, lower reimbursement figures, and changing healthcare delivery models?- Lisa’s advice for ambitious medtech professionals.- And much more!This Is What You Can Do Next 1) You can listen to the interview with Lisa Earnhardt right now:2) You can also download the mp3 file of the interview by clicking here. Don't forget – you can listen to this interview and all of the other Medsider interviews via iTunes. And if you get a chance, leave us an honest rating and review. 3) Read the following transcripts from my interview with Lisa Earnhardt. Read the Interview Before we dig in, you need to listen to these 2 brief messages. Meaningful discussion and debate. Job leads. Opportunities to network. Access to specialized groups. Sound interesting? Then you should check out the Medical Devices Group on LinkedIn. It’s the industry’s only spam-free, curated forum for intelligent conversations with medical device thought leaders. Not only that, but it’s the single largest medical group on all of LinkedIn. Medical device professionals worldwide are invited to join the Medical Devices Group to help build their personal and corporate brands. Check it out: http://medicaldevicesgroup.net As a reminder, Medsider is on iTunes. Just go to https://medsider.com/itunes and you can subscribe to the podcast for free. That way, all the new episodes will automatically download to your iTunes account. It's super easy. Also, if you like the podcast, don't forget to rate it. That really helps us out. Again, that’s https://medsider.com/itunes. Okay, for you ambitious medical device and medtech doers, here’s your program… Scott Nelson: Hello, hello, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Medsider. This is your host, Scott Nelson, and for those of you who are new to the program, listening this is a show where I bring on experienced and proven med tech thought leaders in order to learn about a wide variety of topics, all pertaining to the medical device space. And on today’s program we Lisa Earnhardt, who is the ...
