Falcon is an implant platform that transforms care prospects for Parkinson's patients

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In order to manage symptoms and reduce pain, Parkinson's patients need to inject medication up to 4 times a day. These injections are difficult and dangerous to perform, resulting in an increased reliance on carers and loved ones.

Falcon replaces daily injections with an implant that needs to be filled just once a month.

More than 10 million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s disease. Patients with Parkinson’s experience: tremors in hands, muscle stiffness, slowness of movement and impaired co-ordination. Despite this, patients are expected to inject medications 120 times a month to treat these symptoms.

By adapting the implant delivery method, it can be inserted into a range of anatomical areas to provide localized medication delivery for a range of conditions. 

Patients can re-fill their implant in three easy steps...

An electromechanical system allows the cartridge to be rotated 360 degrees, and tilted up to 24 degrees. When combined, these provide the range of motion necessary to ensure the filling needle can be precisely aligned to the implant port.

As the user positions the filling device over the implant, ultrasound waves are emitted. These waves are reflected back off the implant and received by sensors in the filling device. This information is used to triangulate the location and orientation of the implant within the patient's anatomy with exceptional accuracy.

Upon completion of the implant re-fill, patients can simply remove the empty cartridge for disposal.

Falcon's packaging system is designed to facilitate safe and simple cartridge loading. Users 'stamp' the filling device into the packaging to mechanically load the cartridge ready for implant filling. This loading method prevents exposure to the sharp filling needle, keeping patients safe from needle-stick injuries.

Cartridges containing different medications can be inserted into the filling device, allowing patients across various therapeutic areas to fill their implant with the Falcon device.

​​​​​​​This content was originally posted on Cambridge Consultants' website. Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property and provides business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide. For more than 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies.