October 16, 2006
Peddling the Anti-Pill
InterCure's device eases hypertension without drugs
For a person with hypertension, each heartbeat is a potentially harmful event, as the overtaxed organ attempts to push blood against excessive resistance from tightened blood vessels. Most patients find themselves on at least one type of medicine.
But there is another choice. Fort Lee's InterCure offers what it says is the only nonmedical treatment for high blood pressure that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Its RESPeRATE product registers how fast the user is breathing and guides him to a slower rate.
The system consists of a sensor that is affixed to the chest, a set of headphones and a monitor. "The device learns the normal breathing pattern of the patient and then begins to give a set of interactive tones-one for inhaling, one for exhaling-that the consumer follows," says Brian Packard, InterCure's chief marketing officer. The tones gradually help the user breathe more slowly.
The company says the goal is to slow the user's breathing to under 10 breaths per minute, a rate that may help relax the muscles surrounding arteries. This, in turn, can cause the vessels to open up slightly, lowering blood pressure. The FDA approved RESPeRATE in 2002 for over-the-counter sale.
RESPeRATE, about the size of a portable CD player, is primarily sold over the Web, including at www.resperate.com. The device is available in two models, the standard and the Duo, which can store breath-tracking data for two different users. The standard unit costs $299, and the Duo, which went on the market in June, is priced at $349.
That may seem like a bit much for a device that won't play MP3s, but hypertension is a serious, and expensive, problem. Left unchecked, it can cause heart and kidney failure, stroke and blindness. Treatment often means making lifestyle and dietary changes as well as adhering to a drug regimen. Unfortunately, the drugs can cause dizziness, fluid retention and what TV ads refer to as "sexual side effects." Such symptoms and the drugs' costs often lead users to skip doses.
According to the American Heart Association, as of 2003, 65 million Americans suffered from high blood pressure. There were 277,000 deaths that year in which hypertension was listed as a primary or contributing cause. According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, 26% of New Jersey adults in 2003 were diagnosed with hypertension. The American Heart Association estimates direct and indirect cost of treating high blood pressure in 2006 will be $63.5 billion nationwide.
InterCure's product is just one nonmedical approach to hypertension. Another example is HeartMath of Boulder Creek, Calif. Its emWave Personal Stress Reliever displays a readout of the so-called coherence between the user's heart rhythm and breathing rate and teaches ways of easing stress. "When we're feeling frustrated, irritated, anxious, those lead to a chaotic or disordered heart rhythm. That puts lots of excess wear and tear on the body," says Rollin McCraty, director of research for HeartMath. "There are a number of studies that have related job stress to increased blood pressure. Any effective program at reducing stress can help lower blood pressure."
The device, marketed as a stress reliever, has no FDA certification and makes no direct claims of reducing blood pressure.
Even InterCure bills RESPeRATE as an adjunct to, not a replacement for, prescription medications. Still, Packard says,
"We find on average, blood pressure reductions of 14 systolic points and eight diastolic points."
CEO Erez Gavish founded InterCure in 1994 with Benjamin Gavish, the inventor of the technology. InterCure's Fort Lee office provides sales and marketing. An office in Lod, Israel, handles research and development. RESPeRATE is manufactured by a third party in Israel. InterCure has operated in New Jersey since May 2001 out of an office in Princeton. The company, which has 17 employees, relocated to Fort Lee in November 2002.
InterCure has sold about 50,000 RESPeRATE units since the product's inception in 2002, more than half within the past 12 months, says Packard. "Our growth is the highest it's ever been for the organization," he says. According to him, the company is not yet profitable and is on track to generate under $10 million in revenue this year. He hopes that 2007 will be "a break-even year."
The venture-based firm has raised $12.9 million in three rounds of funding. Investors in include Medica Venture Partners in Herzliya, Israel, True-North-Palladin Partners in New York and United Mizrahi Bank in Israel.
InterCure is developing further medical devices based on respiratory control to treat maladies including sleep apnea and asthma. Its InTone device, which the company says improves blood oxygenation for people with congestive heart failure, is pending regulatory approval.
Meanwhile InterCure is working hard to spread the word about RESPeRATE in the medical community. "It's a gradual process convincing physicians to adopt something new," says Packard. "I'd say about one-quarter of doctors have heard of or are aware of RESPeRATE as a treatment option. The primary goal of ours is to make sure that number is dramatically higher."
SOURCE: BIZ SPOTLIGHT - Health Care - Joao-Pierre Ruth - October 16, 2006.
