Medtronic is pumping up its activation of heart valve disease patients. The company has partnered with an advocacy group for heart valve disease, Heart-Valve-Surgery.com, to create a digital platform intended to help newly diagnosed patients navigate their way to treatment.
Visitors to the website can view a series of videos that explain what a diagnosis of aortic stenosis, the medical term for a form of heart valve disease, means and outline the treatment options. Medtronic is one of the leading providers of devices for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a procedure for treating aortic stenosis. Driving patients to TAVR treatment centers could boost Medtronic sales.
The focus on patient activation reflects blockages in the aortic stenosis treatment funnel. The condition is serious, with one study finding 10% of patients died while waiting for TAVR. Yet, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic’s main rival for the TAVR market, estimated (PDF) 13% of patients with severe aortic stenosis got a replacement valve in 2022.
Some patients have an echocardiogram indicating they have severe aortic stenosis but are yet to receive a valve replacement, either because they lack a formal diagnosis or because they have been diagnosed but not referred. Other patients are unaware they even have the disease.
Edwards is focusing on patients with echocardiograms that indicate severe aortic stenosis in the near- to mid-term. Heart-Valve-Surgery.com’s patient activation tool appears to be aimed at that group, too. The materials are intended to help patients diagnosed with aortic stenosis understand the symptoms, risks and treatment options. A map shows the locations and details of 50 U.S. teams that specialize in TAVR.
The launch of the patient activation tool comes as Medtronic embarks on a new marketing strategy. A recent head-to-head clinical trial showed Medtronic’s TAVR device may have an edge over Edwards’ rival valve in people with small annuli. Medtronic estimates around 40% of patients, including most women and people of Asian ancestry, have small annuli, and it wants to become the go-to player in that space.
Speaking at an event to discuss the data in April, Medtronic CEO Geoffrey Martha said the company was “conservative when it comes to marketing” in the past. The clinical trial data have persuaded Medtronic to be more bullish in its messaging.
“This is the valve for women, full stop, period. This is the valve for Asians, full stop, period. We don't asterisk that,” Martha said. The CEO said Medtronic is “going to make sure that clinicians and patients get this message and clearly understand the benefits.”