Did you know that eight in 10 patients now expect drug manufacturers to disclose how medications are manufactured, handled, transported, and stored? Not distributors, delivery companies, or doctors – drug manufacturers. Moreover, 80 per cent of patients say that it is important for manufacturers to verify the sources of medication ingredients, including the country of origin and local standards for the medication itself. These expectations stem from a distrust of the pharmaceutical supply chain, including those who manufacture, distribute, prescribe and dispense drugs, as revealed in Zebra’s Pharmaceutical Vision Study report, which was published in late 2021.

To me, this patient feedback serves as a call to action to pharma manufacturers to more critically assess how technology decisions are being made and how all technologies are – or are not – being used in factories, warehouses, and other supply chain facilities today, starting with machine vision systems.

Related: Driving digital transformation in the pharma industry

Why machine vision?

Whatever happens at the point of production impacts all supply chain stakeholders, to include distributors, healthcare providers and patients. The fact that four in 10 patients fear pharmaceutical supply chain issues pose a risk of illness or death is a big red flag that first-mile entities are not doing enough to set up downstream parties for the successful storage, distribution and dispensing of drugs.

Related: Why sustainability is more important to pharmaceutical companies now more than ever

For example, nine in 10 patients say that it is important they be able to confirm that temperature-sensitive medications have stayed within the prescribed range. But how can manufacturers know for certain that temperature indicators have been properly applied to each bottle or package? Not by assigning a worker to conduct visual inspections. Our eyes often deceive us, even when we are diligently inspecting something.

If we have machine vision systems conducting first-line quality inspections in production facilities, then quality control operators can remain on standby to intercept rejected items and quickly investigate and resolve root issues that led to the rejection.

Seeing what others might miss

Unlike the machine vision systems we may have used in the past, today’s smart cameras and intelligent software platforms can be trained via deep learning neural networks to ensure fill levels are precise, the media is free of foreign material, and both pills and their packaging have the proper marks.

In fact, today’s machine vision systems can support the flawless decoding, inspection and sorting of every part and package moving through production, storage, and fulfillment. Better yet, a single system can be used to confirm pill quality and quantities, validate the proper application of temperature indicators and ensure shipping labels are legible and compliant. You do not have to rip and replace hardware and software every time you want to adapt the machine vision system to a new workflow or add an application into the mix, either. The same cameras can be reprogrammed to critically analyse every detail and render objective and consistently accurate pass/fail decisions. In turn, it becomes easier to build internal and external trust in product quality and help ensure every item coming off the line is compliant.

However, the real beauty of modern machine vision systems, at least in my opinion, is they do more than just alert when there is a discrepancy and an item fail inspection. They tell you exactly why an item was rejected so a human operator can take swift and intentional corrective actions. No one is wasting time trying to figure out what is wrong or second-guessing their observation. Nor is anyone missing key errors that could lead to noncompliance penalties, recalls, corrections, removals, or other situations that could impact public health and further erode trust in a brand.

Final thoughts

A few years back, radio frequency identification (RFID) was not viewed as a viable track and trace solution for pharma, and now it is regarded as one of the best traceability solutions thanks to continued innovation around RFID tags and readers. Similarly, machine vision technology was previously discounted by manufacturers due to its huge complexity or inability to capture data and inspect pharma products to high standards. But machine vision systems have advanced considerably, with powerful, intuitive toolsets and scalable software platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms.

They are now among the simplest industrial automation technologies to configure, use and manage. They are also one of the most valuable to anyone concerned about compliance or making skilled labour shortages a nonissue. Almost any worker can come in on day one and successfully operate today’s machine vision systems, primarily because the decision-making process is completely automated. Someone just needs to be on standby to act when a discrepancy is flagged by the system.

So, do not waste another minute worrying about whether your well-optimised pharma production operation will meet safety guidelines. Make it easy to trust that you are putting a quality product out in the market every day by taking the burden off workers to get it right every time. Look into the machine vision system options available today with an open mind and, once you find one that will be easy for your team to deploy, use and manage, get it online.

Your workers will be grateful, as they will finally be able to move into their ideal quality assurance role – the one in which they can confidently say ‘yes, this product is good to go’ or ‘hold the line, there is a problem, but we know how to solve it.’

 

Daniel Dombach is the Director of Industry Solutions, EMEA, Zebra Technologies.

 

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), a new stage IV cancer treatment method conceived about 20 years ago, is a global game-changer in improving survival rates, however, not many patients in the UAE are getting this treatment due to a lack of awareness in the medical community.

Understanding HIPEC and its application

“HIPEC is a new procedure that only became available in the UAE in the last decade or so,” said Dr. Salem Al Harthi, Consultant of General Surgery and Chairman of the Department at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, who is considered a pioneer of HIPEC surgery in the country. He had handled the UAE’s first HIPEC case with his team at Mafraq hospital in October 2014.

HIPEC surgery is offered to patients that have an advanced stage of cancer that originates from the ovaries, colon, rectum, appendix, stomach and mesothelioma, in the absence of cancer spread outside the abdominal cavity.

Related: Missed cancer surgery figures are ‘wake-up call’ for healthcare systems

“It involves the surgical removal of all visible cancer growth and organs with cancerous growth, followed by the circulation of heated chemotherapy agents directly inside the abdominal cavity for 90 minutes at a temperature of 42°C. Heating the chemotherapy agent increases the penetration of chemotherapy into the cancer cells, thus increasing the efficacy of chemotherapy treatment,” Dr. Al Harthi added.

While the patient must be medically fit and able to tolerate anaesthesia and surgery, the success rate of the surgery depends on the burden of disease and the completeness of surgical resection.

Related: Insight into oligometastatic and gastrointestinal cancers

“The best-case scenario is small volume of disease and complete surgical resection of all disease,” said Dr. Al Harthi.

Post-surgery care is the same as that of any other patient who undergoes abdominal surgery with bowel resection and anastomosis. The patient usually spends one night in the intensive care unit and up to seven to 10 days in the hospital.

“Around two to four weeks are needed for full recovery. The patient would require antibiotic cover for one day and painkillers for a few days. They usually need one or two visits to the surgical clinic and then they continue their follow-ups with their oncologist,” he added.

Case study: Patient Cherry

To put the treatment into perspective, Dr. Al Harthi highlighted a recent case presented to the Abu Dhabi-based healthcare provider, where a patient in her 30s experienced an ovarian cancer relapse despite undergoing several procedures to combat the disease; HIPEC offered an effective solution.

“The patient Cherry underwent multiple surgeries to remove her ovaries, and subsequently, her uterus. But a routine follow-up via a computerised tomography scan and positron emission tomography scan showed that her cancer had spread to the tissue lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) as well as involvement of the small bowel, diaphragm, large bowel, and the abdominal wall muscles,” explained Dr. Al Harthi.

She underwent surgical resection of the entire peritoneum, in addition to the removal of her gallbladder, resection and anastomosis of the small bowel and right side of the colon, resection of part of the abdominal wall, resection of multiple of colonic lesions, resection of the falciform ligament.

“Cherry recovered very well from her surgery and left the hospital on day seven. Pathology testing confirmed involvement of all specimens with cancer from her original ovarian cancer,” he said.

Since adopting the procedure in the UAE in 2014, SSMC completed over 60 procedures with outcomes on par with international centres.

“HIPEC truly makes a difference to the patient’s quality of life, and we highly recommend it to patients who are eligible for this type of treatment,” said Dr. Al Harthi.
 

More about HIPEC surgery

• HIPEC is used mainly for cancers of the appendix, ovaries, colon and rectum, stomach, mesothelioma and pseudomyxoma peritonei (or what is known as “jelly belly”). The cancer must be at an advanced stage and should be limited to the abdominal cavity only.
• The success rate of the surgery depends on the burden of disease and the completeness of surgical resection. The best-case scenario is small volume of disease and complete surgical resection of all disease.
• Following HIPEC, the patient continues his or her planned surveillance in the form of clinical follow-up, blood tests, and imaging mainly computerised tomography scans depending on the primary cancer.
• Most studies confirm that HIPEC improves quality of life and improves survival by an average of 12 to 15 months.

As the market for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) devices expands, optimisation of implantation techniques and innovation is equally necessary.

An editorial published in the Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy journal in June 2022 argues that though the market currently offers a wide choice of self-expanding (SE) devices, matching the best device to each patient is the main goal to compete with balloon-expanding (BE) ones. 

The article titled “Expanding our horizons for the use of transcatheter self-expanding valves: what does the future hold?” says that since TAVI indications are expanding, further implementation is needed. 

TAVI represents a dynamic, constantly evolving field of interest for interventional cardiology. Despite few head-to-head comparisons and evidence coming from metanalysis and retrospective studies, BE TAVI devices have been always considered superior to SE ones thanks to quicker procedural times, lower incidence of acute kidney injury, lower rate of PPI and less significant PVL that all translate into shorter hospital stays and improved long-term outcomes.

It also adds: “Nevertheless, in the era of tailored medicine, is it inconceivable not to have an alternative? For this purpose, SE valves proved to be even superior to BE ones in specific settings. Accordingly, all catheterisation laboratories should be definitively equipped with both BE and SE devices to offer the best treatment for each patient.” 

However, some issues related to the use of SE devices still need to be addressed and further implementation aims to parallel expanding indications to TAVI, it adds.

According to the article, some niche indications of TAVI, such as aortic valve disease in bicuspid morphology, have not found yet the ideal device. “Optimisation of existing platforms and implantation techniques are already in progress, but unmet needs are still waiting for strikingly new innovative technologies,” it concludes.

Dr. Ahmad Edris, Interventional Cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, says that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become an important and dominant treatment option for a significant number of patients with symptomatic, severe aortic valve stenosis. 

“There have been extensive device developments and procedural improvements since the initial landmark trials, making TAVR a safer and more effective therapy. The referenced article and editorial, highlight several important aspects of programmes treating patients with aortic stenosis. However, an understanding and experience of both balloon-expandable and self-expanding valves are required to treat the full spectrum of patients with anatomical variation and risk,” explains Dr. Edris. 

He says that the editorial highlights important strengths and weaknesses of the available devices, and how manufacturers have worked on device development to solve the limitations. 

“Our programme utilises a balloon-expandable valve in the majority of our aortic stenosis patients, however, there are a significant number of patients that are better treated with a self-expanding valve. We make this decision after thoroughly reviewing the clinical and anatomic risk of each patient, using CT cardiac imaging,” adds the doctor. 

“For example, we have found that in the UAE, patients have smaller aortic valve annulus measurements, compared to our experience in the US. We therefore often use self-expanding valves in this population to achieve better haemodynamic results given the supra-annular design of self-expanding valves. As highlighted in the editorial, we also see an advantage for self-expanding valves in degenerated surgical aortic valve bioprosthesis again, for the hemodynamic advantage.” 

He also adds that the future of medicine is in tailoring and individualising each treatment for each patient. “The future is incredibly bright for this technology. I only see an expansion of its use with time as we continue to learn from our experience,” he adds. 

Breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or within the first year of childbirth is called ‘pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC), also known as gestational breast cancer. Over the past few years Dr. Sukriye Jülide Sağiroğlu, Specialist Breast & General Surgery, at the NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah, focuses predominately on breast cancer surgery and reconstruction and has shed a light on why pregnant women should also be checked for breast cancer.

Dr. Sukriye Jülide Sağiroğlu says: “During pregnancy and the breast-feeding period, it is harder to detect breast cancer. A palpable mass or thickening of the breast skin can be simple signs of breast cancer in pregnancy, and while the breasts changes during pregnancy due to general swelling, expansion, and increased firmness and nodularity of the breast, it may often hide a breast mass which results in delayed diagnosis of PABC. And even though it is rare, approximately 1 in 3000 pregnant women are diagnosed with breast cancer and it is the second most common cancer type during pregnancy - the first being cervical cancer.” 

Related: Quality care, safety for pregnant women main concerns during pandemic

Dr. Sukriye Jülide Sağiroğlu, Specialist Breast & General Surgery, at the NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah

Related: Ultrasound interventional pain management during pregnancy

Women diagnosed with PABC are generally between the ages of 31 and 38. The last three decades showed a remarkable increase in PABC as more women prefer to postpone pregnancy to a later age. PABC is rare and associated with several factors; currently, many studies focus on the causes, management, and best treatment modalities.

“Once a diagnosis of breast cancer has been made, immediate action for treatment is crucial. If the patient is close to delivery, it is advised to give birth before treatment. Otherwise, treatment must be started by the pregnancy week” mentions Dr. Sukriye Jülide Sağiroğlu.

Mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are all used as breast imaging to diagnose PABC. Ultrasound is proven to be the safest in pregnancy while mammography exerts little radiation on the fetus with abdominal protection. Breast MRI is also useful in PABC, however during pregnancy, the safety of MRI contrast medium is still controversial. All suspected lumps undergo a biopsy (sampling) following the imaging step.

Surgery is the first line of treatment for PABC.

Radiotherapy is not used in pregnancy as it is hazardous to the fetus.

Chemotherapy agents are contraindicated in the first three months of pregnancy because they are hazardous to the fetus. Following the first trimester, chemotherapy for PABC is considered safe for the mother and baby.

Limitations of diagnosis and treatment make PABC a highly challenging disease both for the woman and fetus. Being aware of this accelerating type of cancer is the first precaution. Whether pregnancy and breastfeeding are protective against breast cancer, or this protection is only good for the very young mothers, is still to be further researched. 

 

It’s wearable tech without the hardware.

Scientists at the University of Chicago developed a flexible Band-Aid-like device patients can wear – and it stores and analyses their health information in real time.

This device uses AI and ‘neuromorphic’ computing chips that function more like a human brain than a typical computer chip to analyse large amounts of health data, according to their paper published in Matter.

"We've bridged wearable technology with artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a powerful device that can analyse health data  right on our own bodies," said lead author Sihong Wang, an assistant professor of molecular engineering at the university.

In the future, the researchers said, the apparatus can potentially identify diseases before symptoms appear, thanks to continuous health monitoring. For example, wearable biosensors can detect oxygen and sugar levels, as well as immune molecules in the bloodstream.

This differs from a smartphone that offers health monitoring because phones are not capable of complex analysis that can spot key signs of disease.

To test this wearable, the scientists applied its analytical capabilities on electrocardiograms (ECGs). They used five types of ECG data for training: one healthy signal and four abnormal ones. The team then tested the data on new ECGs and found the device could accurately categorise the heart beats, based on how the stretchable chip was bent or flexed.

Going forward, the researchers plan on incorporating other health markers to diagnose disorders and diseases. Wang pointed out that automatic feedback loops, like those used in implantable insulin pumps that can automatically regulate medications, can be integrated with the neuromorphic devices in the future.   

"If you can get real-time information on blood pressure, for instance, this device could very intelligently make decisions about when to adjust the patient's blood pressure medication levels," said Wang.

This article was originally published on AI Business.

Integrated training programmes are the need of the hour. As a speciality, nephrology has benefitted tremendously from innovators and pioneers who, with cross-disciplinary collaborations, established dialysis by the 1980s as an effective option for end-stage kidney disease. Dialysis remains the most successful artificial organ support programme, benefiting millions worldwide.

But this speciality is now at a crossroads; globally, more than 850 million people are suffering from chronic kidney disease, and providing dialysis is very expensive. The U.S. government alone spends one per cent of its federal budget on dialysis, an unaffordable financial cost for many parts of the world.

Kidney care professionals must re-examine the current model of kidney care and develop new solutions to address the growing epidemic of kidney disease. This means cultivating a new generation of innovators – out-of-the-box thinkers and problem-solvers – trained for the future of work.

 

Participants at the "Engineering Safer Care with a Systems View of Analytics" workshop held at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City. This was led by Dr. Mecit Can Emre Simsekler in conjunction with Khalifa University's Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

 

Innovation in science and engineering has been the dominant source of productivity gains and new advances. In addition, healthcare delivery has become increasingly complex and technology-oriented; hence healthcare professionals need to be technology and science savvy to deliver effective healthcare now and in the future.

In addition to managing human and financial resources, healthcare leaders will need entrepreneurial skills, an understanding of the role of human-centred innovation, and the ability to implement emergent technologies to bring growth and value to their respective organisations.

To this end, the internal medicine residency programme team at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) in the UAE has set up an innovation track for trainees, with support from SSMC Education leadership — Dr. Deanne Kashiwagi Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Internal Medicine Training Program Director, and Dr. Tahir Mehmood, Associated Internal Medicine Program Director.

Leading one of the largest internal medicine training programmes in the UAE, SSMC integrated the concepts of innovation, technology management, and entrepreneurship to enable future leaders to advance the current model of healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes. Most of our trainees are Emiratis, who will evolve into leaders in UAE healthcare, not just in nephrology but in other medical sub-specialities as well.

Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare in partnership with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI).

Key learning objectives

1. Create an innovative learning environment and rich ecosystem to facilitate working across disciplinary boundaries to solve complex problems in the medical environment.
2. Design a development path to prepare trainees to lead within and across interdisciplinary organisations, such as hospitals, healthcare start-ups, healthcare regulators, etc.
3. Develop a keen understanding of and the ability to exploit a rapidly changing technological environment.

The programme aims to create a learning environment to help trainees become familiar with the impact of machine learning and artificial intelligence on healthcare. Students learn how technology can generate safer care using point-of-care sensors, telemedicine, and cloud computing-based digital health solutions, as well as the principles of design thinking to equip them to become agents of change.

The next few decades will radically transform how patient care is delivered. Some changes are inevitable because the current model is financially unsustainable; others will come from big tech and other large institutions who look increasingly to healthcare as an opportunity for financial growth

Gone are the days in healthcare where one could master one skillset and hope to practice this until retirement. The next generation will have to constantly evolve and innovate to survive the tremendous change on the horizon. As educators, we are responsible for preparing them for this exciting future. 

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Siddiq Anwar is the Consulant Nephrologist at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC).

Hospital readmissions among Australian children with asthma are increasing, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Asthma in June.

The study titled “Modifiable factors associated with paediatric asthma readmissions: a multi-centre linked cohort study”, showed that linked datasets are important for objectively identifying the health services burden of asthma. The datasets, according to the study, confirm the important role of the general practitioner (GP) in the management of paediatric asthma.

Related: Asthma increases risk of severity of COVID-19

The study highlighted gaps in children’s asthma care throughout their care journey such as reviewing their baseline asthma control, inhaler technique and asthma medication, lack of booked follow-up arrangements before discharge, and guideline discordant care.

The study recruited 767 children, aged three to 18 years, who were admitted to three hospitals in Victoria, Australia between 2017 and 2018 with a validated diagnosis of asthma. The primary outcome showed hospital readmission with asthma within 12 months. The secondary outcomes showed returns in the emergency department and the use of oral corticosteroids. Following this, their caregivers and 277 nominated GPs completed study surveys regarding the home environment and their usual asthma management practices.

Related: Patient Talk Podcast: How double lung transplants are breathing new life into COVID-19 patients

The results of the study showed that within 12 months of admission, 263 participants (34.3 per cent) were readmitted to a hospital for asthma with participants between the ages of three to five years accounting for 69.2 per cent of those readmitted. None of the hospital or home environmental factors appeared to be associated with hospital readmissions, however, the study showed that the estimated effect of GP guideline discordant care reported on the odds of readmission was OR 1.57, 95 per cent CI 1.00–2.47, p = 0.05.

Commenting on the study, Dr. Mohammed Zaheeruddin, Specialist Paediatrician, Fakeeh University Hospital, Dubai said, “This study reflects the growing number of paediatric asthma cases in the community which can be related to many modifiable and non-modifiable factors. Paediatric asthma cases have an impact on the daily routine and lifestyle of a child, especially if they keep getting sick and readmitted to hospitals with severe lung attacks.”

In Australia, asthma is a leading cause of paediatric hospital admissions, with the majority considered preventable. The occurrence demonstrates suboptimal control, which has been a strong facilitator of readmission. It is also important to note that hospitalisations are a psychosocial burden on the child and family, as well as an economic burden on the health system.

The 2017 Lancet commission on asthma calls for each asthma exacerbation to be treated as a “lung attack,” similar to a “heart attack,” and to prompt a holistic evaluation of the child’s asthma management including comorbidities, adherence, environmental and psychosocial factors to improve asthma control and prevent future readmissions. With evidence-based and targeted interventions at each hospital admission, readmissions could be reduced.

The study aimed to use hospital and emergency administrative data linked at the level of the child to identify rates of hospital readmission and emergency department re-presentation for asthma within a 12-month period and to estimate the effects of modifiable hospital, general practitioner and home environmental factors on hospital readmission, emergency department presentations and rescue oral corticosteroid use.

Dr. Zaheeruddin explained that GPs can play a strong role in managing the condition and preventing readmissions. “They are the first point of contact in such cases. A GP will need to evaluate the patient in detail, give them a proper treatment plan and most importantly educate with proper counselling of parents and the child,” he said.

“Many readmissions of paediatric asthma cases are due to non-compliance of preventive treatment. As a GP, one needs to counsel parents and the child repeatedly regarding preventive steps of such lung attacks (paediatric asthma exacerbations),” he added.

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Asma Ali Zain is an independent journalist and a regular contributor at Omnia Health.

Menstrual health and hygiene are critical to women’s well-being and empowerment. An estimated 500 million women do not have access to menstruation products or proper menstrual hygiene management facilities (MHM), but FemTech solutions can help drive solutions.

The feminine hygiene market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8 per cent to Dh2.28 billion by 2026. Joining the market race is FemTech firm PECTIV that specialises in female hygiene products and demonstrated consistent year-on-year growth in sales. This is due to its ground-breaking nanotechnology-based sanitary pads and a unique subscription business model.

In less than two years of operations, PECTIV sold over 100,000 packs, with a 200 per cent year-on-year growth rate in the first quarter of 2022 and had more than 80 per cent returning customers. The demand is led by 82 per cent of subscribers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia alone.

Dr. Elias Abboud, Founder of PECTIV, tells Omnia Health about the prospects and evolution of female hygiene providers in the region. Excerpts from the interview:
 

How is the feminine hygiene landscape shaping in the GCC, what are the driving factors and how does FemTech fit in?

High internet penetration, coupled with an emphasis on creating dialogue and awareness on female hygiene products in the GCC region, has resulted in creating pathways towards accessing knowledge on menstrual health and hygiene information. These developments have culminated in the emergence of FemTech as an important vertical of digital healthcare.

For someone well-versed with the regional feminine hygiene landscape and its unique challenges, we believe ultra-efficient products and telepharmacy models — both FemTech, by extension — can lead to a broader impact. 

Dr Elias Abboud, Founder of FemTech firm PECTIV

 

Please enumerate the challenges and pain points within the regional context.

Conventional sanitary pads, the cornerstone of feminine hygiene, accompany many challenges. To begin with, they are prone to friction from physical activity such as running and walking, resulting in rashes and irritations. The presence of certain materials and chemicals in the pad can cause allergic reactions like contact dermatitis. The trapped moisture and heat, due to the blood flow, provide an ideal medium for bacterial growth, which in turn, can cause a range of health issues. 

Typically, such conventional pads must be changed every three to four hours, regardless of the flow volume, to prevent infection, rashes, odour, and irritation issues. In the GCC region, due to the arid climate and the accompanying high perspiration levels, the need for hygiene is more pronounced.

According to the WHO, conventional sanitary pads are responsible for vaginal infections in up to 70 per cent of females. Even with good hygiene, conventional sanitary pads can cause infections in 30 per cent of females.

While there are 581 bacterial species commonly found in the vaginal biotope of women, some are pathogenic and can cause infections in the event of an imbalance in their composition. The change in vaginal microbiota can be due to menstruation and unsanitary douching. Such multi-faceted challenges encouraged the development of PECTIV’s nanotechnology-based sanitary products. The objective was to create a cure-all solution to these challenges. 

How does PECTIV’s products address common feminine hygiene challenges?

PECTIV’s sanitary pads contain dynamic silver ions, which inhibit bacterial growth and prevent vaginal infections and candidiasis. In addition, these nanotechnology-based products do not cause rashes or irritations as they are free of toxic materials and chemicals such as phthalates and plastics.

From the efficiency standpoint, these pads boast four times more absorption, maximum aeration to dissipate moisture and heat, and side guards to prevent leakage. Besides pads and liners that are available in different forms, our product portfolio includes probiotics-based wipes and washes, which are free of alcohol, parabens, and other chemicals. These revolutionary products are available for subscription-based, doorstep delivery as part of our efforts to promote superior hygiene and break taboos. 

What are the taboos in question? How do you intend to break them through FemTech?

While the awareness of superior feminine hygiene is increasing in the region, the accessibility to best-in-class products continues to be a challenge due to the taboos and hesitancies associated with buying them at the stores, in the presence of other people and men in particular. So, doorstep delivery provides uninhibited access, sidestepping the taboos and hesitancies. We went a step further by offering subscription options, which makes the process of monthly procurement more streamlined. 

What is next for the company?

PECTIV believes in constant innovation. So, we are actively enhancing our product portfolio and developing new solutions as part of our approach to offering holistic feminine hygiene. Our aim is to expand systematically across the region, empowering females to not let inhibitions, taboos, and hesitancies get in the way of good health.

To that end, we have laid a strong foundation by registering with the US Food and Drug Administration and achieving European CE certification. In just under two years of operations, we have achieved great traction, culminating in the ‘Most Innovative Sanitary Pad 2021’ award.

We are, in our own right, the ambassadors of FemTech, gearing up for a feminine hygiene movement in the region. 

Medic West Africa Exhibition and Conference, the biggest gathering of healthcare trade professionals in the West African region, will be making a long-awaited in-person return to Landmark Center in Lagos, Nigeria, on 7-9 September 2022. 

Organised by Informa Markets, the 9th edition of the show will bring together healthcare equipment manufacturers, distributors, procurement professionals, dealers, medical practitioners, and regulators. More than 5,000 healthcare professionals are expected to attend, with 150 exhibitors representing 32 countries taking part.

Amogh Wadwalkar, Exhibition Manager, Medic West Africa, said: “Medic West Africa is the premier healthcare exhibition and conference platform showcasing global healthcare technologies and innovations in support of healthcare solutions in Nigeria and West Africa.

We look forward to connecting all parties in the healthcare ecosystem as the one-stop shop for all healthcare sourcing and procurement needs in the region, and to unveil the latest innovations in healthcare technology - needed for the urgent transformation of our health infrastructures.”

Among the scheduled exhibitors are leading local and international industry players such as GE Healthcare West Africa, Siemens Healthineers, DCL Laboratories, Erba Manheim, Alpha Specialties, Qiagen, Abbott, and Standard Electro Medical Equipment Company (SEMED). 

Products and services on display will include state-of-the-art imaging equipment, laboratory and IVD technology, developments in surgery, advances in prosthetics, cost-effective disposables, among many others. 

In addition, Medic West Africa is set to play host to several interactive sessions, leveraging the expertise of key players in the industry on topical issues for the advancement of the healthcare industry. 

Cynthia Makarutse, Senior Conference Producer, Medic West Africa, explained: “In collaboration with Nigerian healthcare societies, Medic West Africa conferences will promote dialogue on key stakeholder issues for the advancement of the industry. 

We connect government stakeholders with leading commercial entities to deliver solutions on topical issues and challenges facing healthcare professionals in West Africa. The conference will focus on key post-pandemic outcomes such as innovation and disruption, health equity and workforce resilience. It is the pre-eminent event for healthcare professionals who value the power of knowledge-sharing, networking, and business."

Key discussions will occur at the following planned conferences:

• Healthcare Leadership Conference – ‘Leveraging disruption in healthcare – opportunities & challenges in technology’, in partnership with the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria.
• Quality Management Conference -- ‘Human Resource for Healthcare: Building an efficient and resilient workforce’, in partnership with the Society for Quality in Healthcare in Nigeria.
• Healthcare Business Conference -- ‘Consumer-Driven Healthcare Innovations (CDHIs)- Data, Devices and Digital Health Solutions’, in partnership with Healthcare Leadership Academy.
• Access to Healthcare Conference -- ‘COVID – A socioeconomic phenomenon’, in partnership with Bey Health.

Attendance at the Medic West Africa trade exhibition is free for healthcare and trade professionals. For more information, please visit www.medicwestafrica.com.