New Zealand HealthTech solutions improving wellness worldwide

As technological capabilities rise, so does the ability to address complicated health concerns using new technologies. Making an impact with innovative research and people-centred solutions, HealthTech is New Zealand’s largest and fastest-growing technology subsector. Testament to this, New Zealand’s HealthTech export sector is shown to have more than doubled in revenue over the last decade, from $1.27 billion to $2.62 billion.

Here, we’re looking at three New Zealand companies that are helping to solve complex health problems with technology.

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Alimetry: Diagnosing gastric dysfunction

Alimetry is paving a new pathway for clinicians to gain more insight into root causes of patients’ gastric symptoms.   

Around one in 10 people suffer from gastric dysfunction, but diagnosis can often be costly, invasive or inconclusive. While endoscopies and colonoscopies provide intel on the structure of the gut, Alimetry’s non-invasive diagnostic tool, Gastric Alimetry, investigates how it functions.   

In a clinic, an adhesive patch is applied to a patient after a meal, picking up on faint electric signals during digestion. For the next five hours, the patient records their symptoms in an app on an iPad; algorithms analyse this commentary and the electronic readings, then turn them into a clinical report. The results help doctors identify common stomach disorders such as gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia.    

Long-term, Alimetry hopes that their wearable device will have the same impact on gastroenterology as ECG (electrocardiograph) testing has had on cardiology.    

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‍Aroa: Healing complex wounds

Sheep, alongside beef products, are New Zealand’s second-largest goods export earner.  

Lamb production produces many agricultural byproducts, and New Zealand biosurgical company Aroa is proving these don’t necessarily need to go to waste. Through medical ingenuity, Aroa turns part of these byproducts - specifically, the sheep’s forestomach - into ‘bioscaffold’ technologies that can help improve the rate and quality of soft tissue repair in complex wounds in humans.   

The idea for Aroa came about in 2008 when veterinary surgeon Brian Ward decided to put his passion for regenerative medicine into action. Aroa’s range of wound healing products incorporates their core technology, AROA ECM™ which is an extracellular matrix biomaterial and contains more than 150 proteins known to benefit the body’s healing process. This technology is the basis for their range of biological scaffolds that aid soft-tissue reconstruction and treat acute and chronic conditions in humans.  

Aroa has received regulatory approval for select products in Europe and India, and several of its solutions have FDA approval in the US, unlocking regenerative healing technology for more people.    

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‍The Insides Company: Supporting gut recovery after surgery

Digestive diseases are a significant global burden, with an estimated 2.86 billion cases worldwide in 2019. Many patients who undergo bowel and intestinal surgery are left severely malnourished because of intestinal failure, which can complicate recovery and quality of life.

Co-founded by New Zealand Surgeon, Professor Ian Bissett, ONZM, and Professor Greg O’Grady, and Engineers John Davidson and Rob Davidson, The Insides Company is addressing these post-surgical digestive challenges with a world-first solution for people who are recovering from severe intestinal conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer and intestinal fistulas.  

Their flagship product, The Insides® System, allows patients to reinfuse their own nutrient-rich chyme back into the digestive tract through stoma bags. The chyme helps to restore gut function, reduce dehydration and accelerate recovery.

Now used in hospitals and home care settings for both adults and pediatric patients across Australasia, Europe and the UK, the device supports faster patient discharge, fewer readmissions and less reliance on expensive intravenous nutrition.

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‍New Zealand HealthTech’s ongoing impact   

By improving healthcare using innovative technologies, these New Zealand companies are helping to alleviate pressure on an overloaded health sector. Their tools also empower clinicians as they provide access to more treatment options and diagnostic tools.  

With expanding progress and advancing technologies, New Zealand is helping to change the way healthcare looks across the globe, offering world-class tech for a healthier tomorrow.