A consortium of 5 European partners have been awarded €3 million grant funding by the European Innovation Council through its Fast Track to Innovation framework. The two-year project, Swirl SAFE-infusion, will see Swedish company Tada Medical AB working with Irish companies Gasgon Medical and Remote Signals to develop their respective medical devices. This collaborative study will then trial the technologies in two European hospitals, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Portugal and Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Spain, ahead of a planned European launch.
Tada Medical AB joins forces with Gasgon Medical and Remote Signals
The expected results of the project will determine if its technology can be used to improve delivery of IV drugs in hospital and homecare settings. Tada Medical AB and Gasgon Medical are developing devices to reduce the issues of IV dislodgement and Air-in-Line respectively, while Remote Signals will create a cloud-connected sensor device to remotely inform clinicians of performance of the infusion.
Tada Medical AB and Gasgon Medical are alumni of EIT Health, actively engaging with the supports of the organisation to advance their companies. Having met through the network after both receiving Headstart, they teamed up at matchmaking events to develop the Swirl project as a joint initiative. No strangers to success, both companies have been Catapult finalists, with Gasgon Medical achieving 2nd place overall in MedTech category in 2019. By sharing resources and connections they have leveraged the EIT Health network to source pan-European partners with same goals of improving healthcare.
About Intravenous therapy
Intravenous (IV) infusion is the most common invasive procedure in modern healthcare, with over 80% of patients in hospitals receiving an IV as part of their treatment. IV infusion delivers medication directly into the vein using tubing that is connected to a bag of fluids. Complications of IV are frequent, with disruptions of the prescribed dose leading to reduced quality care for patients, especially where time-critical drugs are required. Risks of IV can include air entering the vein, the drug flow being disrupted or exposure of the fluids, while disruptions can lead to the therapy being delivered at sub-optimal rates.
The market for single-use IV devices is valued at over €40 billion globally, with disruptions to IV and resulting adverse events contributing significant additional burden for healthcare systems.
By sharing resources and manufacturing solutions to common unmet needs, the commercial partners intend to deliver significant value to their hospital partners and to healthcare providers globally. This project will see each technology reach CE mark for approval to sell the devices in Europe by 2023.