Industry Innovators

Medovate – a multi-award-winning medical device development company based in Cambridge – specialises in identifying and developing medical technology innovations created by clinical innovators which have real potential to make a difference to patient safety and care.

Using a unique model, Medovate – which was spun out of the NHS in 2017 – works closely with the NHS, which is a stakeholder in the company, to identify, develop and commercialise new medical devices for the benefit of clinicians and their patients, both in the UK and across the world. The company has a portfolio of products across the medical specialities of anaesthesia, critical care, airway management and surgery.  Medovate works collaboratively with the clinical innovators who have invented the products in their portfolio.

Medovate has been able to benefit from opportunities to increase their international profile and showcase the benefits of their technologies through support from the AHSN Network and its partners at international events as well as international support programmes.

How the AHSN have been involved

By partnering with organisations such as the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) and the Department for International Trade (DIT), the AHSN Network provides companies with the opportunity to exhibit products and services at leading international health technology fairs.

In 2022, Medovate were amongst the delegation of UK HealthTech innovators who joined the ASHN Network as part of the ABHI UK Pavilion at Arab Health. As the leading healthcare trade show in the Middle East, the show presents significant opportunities for UK companies to raise their international profile. As part of the AHSN delegation, the company was able to benefit from a platform to showcase its revolutionary technology to buyers and clinicians in the region, as well as benefitting from the advice, guidance and expertise of our partners, including the ABHI and DIT, along with a series of promotional activities around the event.

Medovate has received additional support with raising their international profile as one of a selected cohort of UK based exporters invited to participate as a case study for the ASHN Network’s ‘Get Export Ready: International Support for Health Innovators’, an online event showcasing proven innovations to support SMEs with guidance on how to spread their innovation not just across the UK, but also internationally.

In addition, the company is part of the ABHI US Accelerator programme, a 12-month programme of support providing healthtech innovators with the opportunity to define and strengthen their US strategy, de-risk market entry and grow their US business by utilising ABHI’s advice, expertise and connections within the country.

Medovate has also partnered with the Eastern ASHN’s Medtech Accelerator, which supported the early-stage development of SAFIRA®, Glucosave and Endovac technologies. The programme, which provides early-stage funding to clinical entrepreneurs developing new medical technology innovations, has been valuable in facilitating face-to-face introductions to senior NHS and clinical leaders. It has also helped to foster engagement opportunities supporting the company with clinical evaluation and product development support.

Outcomes of AHSN support to date

Medovate has been supported by ABHI and the AHSN Network to access Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) grant funding to attend leading healthcare exhibitions including Arab Health, which have allowed Medovate to position their technology to potential clinical and distribution partners and refine their export strategy for the Middle East. Through support from the AHSN Network at Arab Health, Medovate was able to meet with potential Middle East based distributors leading to its first partnership agreement in the Middle East with Omneya Medical Co. to distribute SAFIRA®™ in Kuwait. The company’s growing relationship with DIT has also enabled access to valuable on the ground support in the US for export and tariff requirements, together with connecting Medovate with opportunities in the Middle East.

Being part of the ABHI US Accelerator has additionally opened up opportunities for Medovate to engage with C-suite decisionmakers at major US health institutions including Dell Medical School, supporting their US expansion.

What next

The first product brought to market is the SAFIRA® system for safer injection for regional anaesthesia, which has been launched in key markets globally, including Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The company has a number of other technologies in development, including Glucosave, a pioneering life-saving solution for arterial line procedures.

Having successfully launched its first FDA-cleared and CE Mark certificated medical device in multiple international markets, Medovate has agreements in place to enter an additional 60+ countries over the coming years. Medovate is actively pursuing further regulatory approvals and distribution agreements for SAFIRA® for other key markets across Asia-Pacific and Saudi Arabia. The company also has a number of further exciting innovations in the pipeline.

Glucosave®, the next product set for launch, is a patient safety solution to help identify the incidence of artificially high glucose readings during arterial blood gas sampling from a glucose solution being erroneously attached to an arterial line. This is something which if not identified early can have serious consequences for patients as it can lead to an inappropriate treatment pathway being followed. Humidicare® is a novel heat and moisture exchanger (HME) which has a safety engineered warning system to promptly visually alert staff of a dual humidification error in a ventilation circuit, helping prevent potential harm to patients.

 Find out more about Medovate