Cala Health has figured out that innovations backed by patents make them exponentially more valuable in the marketplace. However, in a zest for promotion, they might have exaggerated a bit.
In early April 2021, Cala Health had 2 patent applications published, bringing the company's total patent portfolio to 8 assets. The 2 new applications, (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20210100999 and 20210101007) teach a system and methods for treating essential tremors (‘999) and overactive bladders (‘007). While the company's website claims that Cala is the only biotech company with patented technology for non-invasive neuromodulation treatment of essential tremors, the patent data also showed that they are focused on more than treating essential tremors.
Digging deeper into the AI Biotech: Neurology Patent Forecast raises some questions about the validity of Cala’s claim of being the only company to have patented technology for using neuromodulation to treat tremors. In the past 6 months, we have noted numerous companies with patents and applications for treating tremors caused by a variety of disorders. For example, in August 2020, we noted that the University of Ireland had received a patent for treating Parkinson’s and the associated tremors using neurostimulation. Then, in November 2020, we noted that Stimaire had received notice of publication for an application that also discussed using neurostimulation to treat muscular disorders including tremors. Maybe Cala Health was unaware of their competitors’ patent activity. Most companies are. That's where the Patent Forecast® data comes in.
Regardless of whether Cala truly is the first company to patent this use of neurostimulation technology, they have begun to build momentum within their portfolio. However, to be considered a leader in the Neurology sector, they will need to continue to aggressively patent technologies in order to join the likes of industry leaders such as IBM, Boston Scientific, Psomagen, and Halo Neuro. Make sure to check back to the Patent Forecast® to stay on top of all of the emerging uses for Neurostimulation as we track their development and patenting.
