Kestrel provided industry, clinical and commercial insight into the market potential for a novel long-term cartilage repair solution

Background:

Cartilage is the smooth, hard, white material found in joints that allows our joints to move freely. Cartilage damage can be caused by injury and disease, is painful and debilitating and is particularly slow to heal. Sufferers develop osteo arthritis, sometimes leading to invasive and painful joint replacement.

Requirement

A world-class European research organisation has developed early-stage treatment for cartilage damage that promises to be able to replace damaged cartilage in a long-term solution without requiring major surgery.

Although the experimental evidence is positive, the funding authority required an independent external assessment of the business potential of the treatment in the cartilage repair market

Response

Kestrel responded by putting together a three-phase programme to understand the currently unmet market and clinical needs, alternative therapies and how they compare, and the challenges for new treatments  in entering the market including how a start-up / joint venture could work

Kestrel carried out independent market research, and identified and engaged directly with KOLs in the cartilage repair space including leading surgeons and research organisations in UK, Europe and US.

Multiple interviews were held to understand the drivers and challenges facing potential new therapies

Result

Kestrel found that current treatments are badly in need of improvement. There is a “massively underserved market” according to clinicians  worth $billions, although market acceptance of new treatments is very sceptical due to many failed past attempts.

The key market is in the knee repair space, growing annually due to an increase in younger patient numbers. There are huge challenges in proving new treatments due to the very long timescales involved. Extended clinical trials over many years are very expensive and frequently fail due to a lack of supporting investor capital. Kestrel made a balanced recommendation to the funding authority allowing them to make an informed decision as to how to best support the further development of the technology