A Reprint--see the article of the same name in In Vivo, May 2008.

In Vivo analyzed recent public and private device financings to determine the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the various types of device financings, and further broke down the investments by therapeutic categories to examine what areas are hot and which ones are not. We found that the device industry has rebounded from a dismal public market and is showing strength among both public and private investors, resulting in a sector well-positioned for continued growth.

Tremendous progress has been made in the field of ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) over the past several years, and numerous device-based technologies to address this underserved and rapidly growing patient population are under clinical development. Minimally invasive, percutaneous AF ablation has evolved rapidly as well, although the procedure remains very challenging and limited to highly experienced centers.

A solid foundation has been laid in the field of devices for atrial fibrillation; clinical trials have underscored the efficacy of cardiac ablation devices compared to drugs, reimbursement is in place for both surgical and catheter-based ablation procedures, and large companies have invested heavily in the technologies, validating the entire field. Early devices on the market are bringing in some revenues for their developers, but much remains to be done before atrial fibrillation becomes the multi-billion market everyone talks about. The biggest challenge that lies ahead: clinical trials, for today, all ablation devices are used off-label for atrial fibrillation.