Demand for healthcare services in both the U.S. and abroad is expected to increase in the coming years. Aided by new advances in medical care, people across the globe are living longer. Here in the U.S., healthcare reform is expected to add 32 million patients to the healthcare system. As members of America’s massive (78 million people), aging Baby Boomer generation hit their senior years, it is anticipated that they will need more healthcare.
Meanwhile, emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil are expected to be a major growth driver for the healthcare industry, thanks to rising GDP and increasing affluence. According to a recent commentary by Kevin Grewal, editor of risk management website Smart Stops, GDP growth and healthcare spending have historically been correlated. Additionally, emerging nations are increasingly focused on healthcare and providing insurance coverage for their citizens. For example, the Chinese government intends to provide healthcare to 95% percent of its citizens and spend $125 billion on healthcare over the next year.
With so many signs pointing to a growing healthcare sector, one might think that fledgling life sciences companies would have an easy time securing resources. However, getting a healthcare start-up off the ground is a challenging and time-consuming process, particularly in a global economy that is just beginning to recover from a difficult recession. It can help to have an ally on the road to commercialization.
Operating for over 50 years, Safeguard Scientifics is a holding company that provides capital, as well as strategic, operational and management resources for technology and life sciences companies. Some of the services offered by Safeguard include strategic planning, acquisitions, management assistance, business development, legal and finance/accounting, and marketing/PR/communications. Safeguard invests in “growth-stage, entrepreneurial life sciences companies who have a competitive advantage in markets that represent sizable opportunities.” A few of the life sciences companies in Safeguard’s portfolio include:
Advanced BioHealing, Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in products for wound healing. The company’s lead product targets the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.
Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Inc., a product-focused molecular imaging company that is developing radiopharmaceuticals for imaging Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
Clarient, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLRT), a cancer diagnostics company developing assessments for breast, prostate, lymphoma, leukemia, lung and colon cancers.
NuPathe Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapeutic products for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases. The company’s product portfolio includes a transdermal patch for the treatment of acute migraine and a long-lasting injectable implant for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Tengion, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing new human tissues and organs that are derived from a patient’s own cells.
Safeguard is one of many companies scheduled to present at the OneMedForum San Francisco, taking place January 11-13, 2011. To learn more about the conference, visit http://www.onemedplace.com/forum.
