The 2018 Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC), Jan. 30-Feb. 2, featured presentations of data from trials of peripheral stents from Biotronik and Veryan, TVA Medical's arteriovenous fistula, and drug-coated balloons from Medtronic, Boston Scientific, and Spectranetics.

Serial medtech entrepreneurs Chas Taylor and Paul Gilson founded Novate Medical Ltd. to develop a bioconvertible inferior vena cava filter – it protects patients from pulmonary embolisms during a critical interval, then integrates into the vessel wall. There is no need to retrieve it, a benefit that goes far beyond the economics of avoiding a second procedure.

Despite the dire headlines, VCs are still investing in medtech start-ups, although the deals are becoming fewer and later stage. Start-ups looking for funding have to be more creative and look beyond traditional sources of funding, according to a discussion by six European venture capitalists speaking at the IN3 meeting in Dublin in April 2013.

With a total market potential estimated in the multibillion-dollar range, the drug-coated balloon opportunity is attracting a growing list of competitors, including several leading multinational cardiovascular device companies that have entered the space via recent acquisitions. DCBs still need to prove their worth in large, long-term clinical trials, but the ultimate proving point for DCBs could center on cost: if they can offer an effective treatment option that is significantly less expensive than existing devices, DCBs may provide a compelling economic argument.