{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"MedTech Speed to Data","title":"Spotting An Opportunity, Crafting A Solution : 41","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2216,"description":"Epinephrine auto-injectors, first developed in the 1970s, are the most common emergency treatments for anaphylaxis, often deadly allergic reactions. The limitations of liquid epinephrine and the device’s decades-old technology have kept these life-saving devices out of patients’ hands. Austin-based startup Windgap Medical, Inc. plans to break these barriers with a more convenient, shelf-stable alternative.In Episode 41 of the MedTech Speed to Data podcast Key Tech’s Andy Rogers and Thomas James sit down with Windgap’s co-founder and Chief Business Officer, Brent Buchine, to discuss the data-driven development of the company’s life-saving technology.Need to know·       Epinephrine auto-injectors are big business — A $1.3 billion market at Windgap’s founding, sales of epinephrine auto-injectors exceeded $3.1 billion in 2024.·       Few eligible patients get these life-saving devices — Only 52% of American food allergy patients ever receive prescriptions, and epinephrine auto-injectors are only available in 32% of the world’s 195 countries.·       Traditional auto-injectors are relatively large and inconvenient — Only 55% of patients with prescriptions report having immediate access to their auto-injectors.·       Liquid epinephrine is thermally unstable — Doses lose their effectiveness with prolonged heat exposure, forcing patients to refill their prescriptions more frequently.The nitty-grittyBuchine and his co-founders saw an opportunity to make epinephrine delivery more convenient and accessible. “We developed a freeze-dried version of epinephrine to make it more stable and double, if not triple, the shelf life,” Buchine explains.However, lyophilization introduces an extra step in the treatment process. The dried epinephrine must be rehydrated and mixed in a solution before injection.“If you have a rescue product for emergency use, you have to get it very quickly,” Buchine says. “With modest training, you need to make sure people know how to use the product...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/D6hMCysuuZpZO9MQfRbgtr2o9UZ_Mtc0h1qVAxU8GII/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83MGQ2/N2MwMDdmNTRmOTRl/M2Y0MTcyNjAwN2Mz/OWRlZi5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}