Bronchial thermoplasty is an evolutionary therapy for treating
asthma, a leading chronic disease across the globe. Asthma is one of the
most common chronic diseases among children which worsens with age. It
is a complex inflammatory disease caused by genetic mutation or other
environmental factors. In asthma, the airway muscles become
hypersensitive to various allergens, triggering inflammation of the
muscular wall of airway tract, and consequently narrowing the airway
passage. The inflammation eventually leads to thickening of smooth
muscle of airway tract, which results in restricted air flow affecting
the breathing process. Treatment of asthma involves administration of
various drugs such as albuterol, steroids and beta agonists through
inhalers and nebulizers. However, bronchial thermoplasty is recommended
in severe cases, where asthma control with these medications is less
effective.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) report published in
2017, 235 million people across the world were affected with asthma in
2015 and it accounted for 383,000 deaths globally. Incidence rate of
asthma is rising among children due to increase in susceptibility to
various airborne allergens and other associated risk factors. According
to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), prevalence
of asthma among children was 8.4% in the U.S. in 2015. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during 2006 to 2010among the
total asthma patients in the U.S., uncontrolled asthma was evident in
38% children and 50% adults. Rise in number of asthma cases drives
demand for more effective treatments. This has induced the industry to
develop new therapeutic devices such as bronchial thermoplasty. However,
bronchial thermoplasty is an expensive procedure and requires skilled
operator and well developed infrastructure. Moreover, restricted patient
selection criteria for bronchial thermoplasty restrains its adoption
among physicians.
Bronchial thermoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure, which
involves provision of radiofrequency energy to bronchial wall through a
catheter. A bronchoscope is inserted through the nasal cavity through
which a thermoplasty catheter is advanced to the therapy sight. The
catheter comprises four electrodes in the shape of a basket and
temperature sensors. Bronchial thermoplasty is performed in three
settings separated by three weeks’ time. In each setting, different
parts of the bronchi are targeted for therapy, such as left lower lobe
and right lower lobe are treated in first and second sittings, while
upper lobes are treated in the third sitting. The electrodes provide
temperature of about 65ยบ C for 10 seconds to 15 seconds, which reduces
the chances of adverse effects. The procedure lasts for 30 minutes to 45
minutes. Bronchial thermoplasty is claimed to improve the quality of
life of asthma patients and also reduces the recurrence of asthma
attacks in long term studies. However, bronchial thermoplasty is
recommended as an adjuvant therapy with asthma medications.
In terms of region, the global bronchial thermoplasty market can be
segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the
World. Bronchial thermoplasty is a considerably new therapy procedure.
North America is projected to account for leading share of the global
market during the forecast period, due to high adoption of technically
advanced treatment devices and techniques. Despite being a new method,
large number of public and private health care payers are considering
reimbursements for these procedures on a case-to-case basis. This
augments the bronchial thermoplasty market in North America. Europe is
anticipated to account for a significant share of the global market
during the forecast period. Well-established health care infrastructure
and trend of medical tourism in countries in Central and Eastern Europe
are the key factors driving the market in Europe. Increase in
expenditure to develop health care infrastructure and rise in private
health care expenditure in emerging markets such as China and India are
anticipated to boost the market in Asia Pacific.
Presently, Boston Scientific Corporation is the only manufacturer and supplier of bronchial thermoplasty device brand named Alair. In October 2010, the company completed the acquisition of privately owned Asthmatx, Inc., the developer of Alair. This system received the U.S. FDA approval in April 2010 and CE Mark in 2011. In October 2013, the Chinese FDA approved the Alair system for treating patients with persistent asthma.
Presently, Boston Scientific Corporation is the only manufacturer and supplier of bronchial thermoplasty device brand named Alair. In October 2010, the company completed the acquisition of privately owned Asthmatx, Inc., the developer of Alair. This system received the U.S. FDA approval in April 2010 and CE Mark in 2011. In October 2013, the Chinese FDA approved the Alair system for treating patients with persistent asthma.
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info.
ReplyDeletepemf devices