NxStage arrives in the Middle East

I was thrilled this morning to learn that NxStage through their partners Kimal are launching the System One, a portable hemo dialysis machine in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Bill Peckham wrote about this here.

This is excellent news. I have been waiting for this machine to be available in India. It is now available in the US, UK and the Middle East. India shouldn't be too far behind, I am hoping.

There are two barriers to home dialysis in India - costs and perceived risk.

The cost of dialysis and the fact that a large number of people have to pay for their own treatments might dissuade someone from introducing systems like this in India. Costs, however are not a problem for some segments of the population. When you look at the size of the population, even a small percentage of this is good enough for a large number of potential home dialyzors.

The second and more important barrier is the perceived risk of dialysing at home. I say 'perceived' because dialysis at home is typically done more regularly and for longer hours. This makes the dialysis process more gentle and less risky. Less fluid is removed, the flow rates are less and the chances of any serious problem arising gradually diminish.

What is needed is patient education. Patients and their families must be educated on the benefits of more frequent and longer treatments. When they see (and feel) the benefits, adoption cannot but be widespread.

I am now hopeful that NxStage will bring the System One to India sooner rather than later. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Comments

B said…
You know Kamal...last year when I was investigating dialysis stuff...I learnt about NxStage.

I bought some stock in that company. Not much...as I am just low risk guy...but the stock appreciated more than 60% over the year. Guess I should not sell it soon -:) Or may be even buy more? hmm...
Kamal D Shah said…
Yes, that company is likely to do really well. More and more people will want to dialyze at home around the world. It has not even gone to Australia where they are big time on home hemo.
Aditya Jandial said…
And then it is Off to Phuket my Fliend!!!
Sai Manohar said…
lets hope the portable dializor comes to India helping them in need. And its not an exaggeration kamal, r blog is a great learning resource to me..
Bill Peckham said…
Now they're entering northern Europe
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NE48776.htm

Have you heard from Kimal? Maybe the company to ask is one in India that has imported medical devices in the past ... the Nordic Medcom AB of India?

Cheers,
Bill
Kamal D Shah said…
I haven't heard from Kimal yet Bill.
Anonymous said…
I have a relative looking for the NxStage system one in the united arab emirates - Dubai. Does anyone know who is selling this machine and for how much.
I would appreciate any help in this regard.
thanks
Kamal D Shah said…
Hello Anonymous, please send an email to kamal@kamaldshah.com and I shall give you their contact details.