FDA Clears a Portable Hemodialysis System

Quanta Dialysis Technologies Ltd. is one step closer to introducing its portable hemodialysis system to the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted the company 510(k) clearance for the SC+, a small and simple high-performance hemodialysis system that can provide a dialysis dose equivalent to today’s standards but in a compact, easy-to-use format suitable for various care settings. 

“Kidney failure is one of the costliest health conditions for the American health system. The imperative for better value in healthcare, coupled with new challenges driven by COVID-19, has amplified the need to reimagine how hemodialysis is delivered across a variety of settings,” said John E. Milad, CEO of Quanta, a British medical technology pioneer developing innovative dialysis products and services for the global market. “This will be a pivotal year for Quanta as we build our U.S. presence and bring our next-generation hemodialysis system to a community ripe with need.” 
 
The SC+ System in the U.S.
There are more than half a million patients requiring hemodialysis in the United States. The vast majority of these patients receive dialysis three-times-a-week, with a minority receiving more frequent therapy. Unlike other portable hemodialysis systems, SC+ can deliver the higher dialysate flow rates typically used to provide conventional three-times-a-week prescriptions, while also offering the flexibility for more frequent, longer and gentler treatments tailored to patients’ needs. The small, lightweight design of SC+ makes the device portable, allowing for dialysis treatments to be brought to patients, and the simple, intuitive user interface makes dialysis accessible to a broad range of healthcare professionals.
 
In preparation for commercial launch, Quanta continues to develop its U.S. team and operations. Following the appointment earlier this year of the company’s president of North America, John Lipman, Quanta has also recently hired a head of Chronic Sales and a head of Clinical Support, while also building a dedicated U.S.-based team that includes training, customer care and technical staff to support the company’s customers and users.
 
To complement SC+, Quanta will introduce a suite of related products and services. This includes an optional, portable water purification module that will enable SC+ to be easily moved around and to be operated in a wide range of settings, both with and without a centralized water system, and a secure, cloud-based digital health offering that will simplify and automate treatment data capture and reporting, negating the need to create and store manual records.
 
Brigitte Schiller, M.D., chief medical officer of Satellite Healthcare in San Jose, Calif., and member of Quanta’s Medical Advisory Board, said: “SC+ is a welcome new technology that addresses the need for simpler, more portable dialysis systems that can deliver treatment flexibility. Innovations such as this can facilitate more individualized care and improved patient experience, playing an important role in the transformation of the current care model.”
 
Following extensive clinical piloting with the National Health Service (NHS) in England, SC+ became commercially available in the United Kingdom last year, playing a vital role in supporting the increased need for more simple, flexible dialysis devices in the hospital and the home, particularly during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported in a recently published study (Komenda et al, Kidney Medicine 2020), SC+ combines the power and performance of larger conventional dialysis machines with the convenience of a compact, portable, user friendly device, making SC+ a much-needed addition to existing dialysis treatment options.

Andrew Lazar, M.D., chief of Nephrology at Ahuja Medical Center, in Cleveland, Ohio, said: “I’m excited about the cartridge-based technology and high dialysate flow rates of SC+. The versatility, portability and simplicity of this device, combined with a modular approach to water purification, offer something for many different care environments. I can use SC+ in skilled nursing facilities, SLED or on regular floors in the hospital. Dialyzing five days a week isn’t always an option, and SC+ provides much-needed clinical flexibility.”