Touch Bionics expands in US to meet demand for prosthetic hand
27 February 2008
Scottish company Touch Bionics, developer of the world’s first
commercially available bionic hand, has set up a US subsidiary, Touch
Bionics, Inc. to help meet the growing demand for its revolutionary
prosthetic hand.
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The i-LIMB prosthetic hand |
The company opened new headquarters and a development and manufacturing
facility in Livingston, Scotland in January this year.
Touch Bionics launched the i-LIMB Hand in July 2007, and the product has
now established itself as one of the hottest devices in the world
prosthetics market. The company expects that its clinical customers will
have fitted more than 100 patients, from all over the world, by the end of
February 2008, representing very strong performance in such a specialist
field.
“The level of global enquiries since the launch of the i-LIMB Hand has
resulted in a very busy six months for Touch Bionics and we are hitting the
top end of our expected sales growth,” said Stuart Mead, Touch Bionics CEO.
“The response from patients and clinics alike has further convinced us that
the market is ready for our product, meaning that this new facility is
vitally important to helping us maintain our rapid growth.”
“We are performing well in export markets — 94% of our business is coming
through exported product, and the USA is proving to be our biggest market,”
added Mead.
Following its commercial launch, global market perception of the i-LIMB Hand
has evolved from exciting new technology to a widely accepted clinical
option in the space of six months. Touch Bionics has now established
relationships with a wide range of clinical companies – from the world’s
largest to smaller, independent clinics.
“Having a stronger US presence enables Touch Bionics to better serve its
growing network of partner clinics in America, the company’s biggest
market,” said Touch Bionics CEO Stuart Mead. “With more US clinics offering
the i-LIMB Hand, growing numbers of American amputees will have the option
of being fitted with the most advanced prosthetic hand on the market. The
fact that we’re at the top end of our sales projections shows there is a
ready market for our product.”
More than 70 patients worldwide have been fitted with the hand and the
company anticipates reaching the milestone of 100 fitted patients by the end
of February 2008.
Jake Wood, CP, FAAOP, sole certified prosthetist and co-owner at
Orthotics and Prosthetics Associates, Inc. in Milwaukee, WI said, “I am so
appreciative of what they have made available for my patients. Touch Bionics
technology allows me to do my job better, providing patients with a solution
that enhances and improves their day-to-day lives. Due to the
anthropomorphic, dexterity and functional capabilities of the i-LIMB Hand,
it’s in a league of its own, technology-wise.
“This is the first time in my 30 years in the prosthetics business that I
felt I was truly delivering an arm to the patient,” continued Wood. “I never
thought in my lifetime that I would ever see this technology.”
In addition to the developments in the US, Touch Bionics has also now
cemented European partnerships with clinics and distributors in Germany,
Turkey, Hungary, Romania and the Benelux region, with more global partners
signing up in countries such as South Korea, Argentina and Brazil. In the
space of just six months, global market perception of the i-LIMB Hand has
evolved from exciting new technology to a widely accepted clinical option.
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