The med-tech startup, whose MyHand device helps stroke patients regain hand function, is moving to commercial production, having secured a major distributor, Performance Health, to market, sell and disseminate its product in the U.S.
Performance Health is one of the top distributors of medical rehabilitation equipment in the U.S., catering to a roughly 40 per cent share of the market, Johnson said, with a focus on getting devices like his into hospitals and medical clinics across the country.To date, IRegained has secured a number of deals with a variety of Canadian and U.S. hospitals and clinics to use MyHand, but the device has not been widely available.
Assembly of the device, which has, until now, taken place at IRegained's office and lab space at NORCAT on Maley Drive, will move to a Mississauga manufacturing facility that meets the licensing requirements of Health Canada and the FDA. It can be wheeled to any spot in a hospital, plugged in, and be ready for a patient to sit and begin treatment. There's even a built-in storage compartment for spare parts so that operators don't have to go hunting for them should a replacement be needed.
By 2016, IRegained was registered as a company, at least on paper, and the following year, Johnson decided to work on the company's business plan while heading off on a backpacking adventure.