OrSense Diagnostic Tailor-Made for Developing World
The secret of designing a product for the developing world is not to take a Western product and downgrade it, ” says Lior Maayan, CEO of OrSense. “The key is to design something from scratch that suits the needs of that market.”
OrSense has developed a variety of non-invasive blood diagnostic products that are used in hospital wards and point-of-care clinics throughout the Western world. But in order to address the need for a product that could readily diagnose anemia in the developing world, the company designed a product with unique safety, portability and power features.
Anemia is a major medical problem in the developing world affecting an estimated 2 billion people. In countries like India and Nepal, anemia affects more than 50 percent of women and 80 percent of children. Anemia is detrimental to general health and productivity and associated with numerous diseases.
For this reason the World Health Organization and World Bank have earmarked the treatment of anemia as a major health priority.
Treating anemia often takes on the form of iron pills or injections. However the use of these treatments can have negative consequences if the level of anemia has not been correctly diagnosed and if the proper level of dosing is not prescribed. Until now, the lack of medical facilities and trained personnel who can administer blood tests, combined with the risk of incurring infections from non-hygienic blood tests, have hampered efforts to treat anemia.
Two years ago OrSense introduced a diagnostic product that measures hemoglobin levels, and thereby indicates the presence or absence of anemia, which is designed to meet the specific needs of the developing world. The product is non-invasive so there is no risk of infection; it is battery powered so there is no need for electricity and it is easy to operate.
The company has begun to market the product extensively in Brazil, India and other Latin American and Asian countries. More than a million tests have already been performed and the company expects sales to triple each year.