BioLogic-HD™ and the problem of being (way) too far ahead of the market

Artif Organs. 2022 Feb 9. doi: 10.1111/aor.14181. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

In the 1980s, I led a team to build a hemodialysis machine with sorbent regeneration of dialysate, ultrafiltration control, and single-needle access. The BioLogic-HD™ was perfectly suited for home hemodialysis, but not for in-center or acute dialysis. The home dialysis market in the United States was decimated by HCFA's decision in 1987 to stop paying for home helpers. As a result, our Venture Capital partners stopped supporting our small company, and the BioLogic-HD was never marketed. There is criticism of nephrologists for the lack of innovation in dialysis, but the major problem has been the commercialization of new dialysis technology.