Biomedical startup Adapttech, Birmingham, United Kingdom, has appointed Stuart Mead as chairman ahead of the company’s launch in the United States later in 2019.
Mead is the former CEO of Touch Bionics that created the first bionic hand and was acquired by Össur, Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2016.
Adapttech’s technology for improving the fitting of lower-limb prostheses has also been granted a decision as a Class I medical device by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company’s Insight system, which has undergone successful user testing in Europe, is currently being used in an outcome study at two O&P clinics in the United States ahead of its commercial launch later this year.
According to the company, the system combines laser scanning, wearable technology, and a mobile app to make it faster and easier to correctly fit lower-limb prosthesis and monitor a patient’s entire rehabilitation process.
The U.S. study is using clinically recognized tests and validated scales for health, function, satisfaction and pain level, and is running at two independent clinics: De La Torre Orthotics and Prosthetics in Pittsburgh, and Prosthetics & Orthotic Associates (POA) in Middletown, New York.
“We’re excited to be one of the first clinics in the United States to access this technology,” said Edward De La Torre, president, De La Torre O&P. “By using Insight in our fitting and evaluation process, we expect to see improved patient health, reduced pain levels, and increased patient activity by greatly improving the initial patient/prosthetist experience.
“By integrating Insight into our patient management system, we aim to reduce the amount of time prosthesis fitting and evaluation takes for the benefit of both our patients and medical operators,” said Thomas Passero, founder, POA.
