Retina Implant as manufacturer of an active medical product belongs to the medical-technical branch.

In the year 2000, the German medical-technical sector earned roughly 10 Billion Euro corresponding to a 9.4% increase relatively to 1999. This line of business employed in 2000 roughly 79,000 persons, corresponding to a slight increase of + 0.3 % as compared to the previous year. Source: National Office of Statistics Wiesbaden

No comparative figures can be given because no retinal implant is yet on the market. Since retinal implants constitute technical apparatus for restoring substantial sense organs, the datat of other manufacturers of implants like the cochlea implant can be taken for comparison.

Cochlear Ltd. (Sydney, Australia) quotes in its year-end report for 2001 sales of 220 million Australian Dollars and a 53% increase in comparison to the previous year. (Average of the last 4 years: 33%). The number of employees increased by 18 % (end-of-year report 2001, Cochlear Ltd).

Thus the market for sensory-organ-prostheses represents a strongly expanding branch of the medical technical sector.

It is the company’s aim to have German medical insurance companies paying for the implant and the implantation surgery in analogy to the cochlear implant (hearing prosthesis). However, only a limited number of hospitals in Germany will be granted a license to charge for the costs.

Retina Implant plans entering the market with its subretinal implant in the following order: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, USA, Canada and Japan.

The study “Marketscope, Comprehensive Report on the Global Retinal Market, 2003” clearly shows that:

among a series of competitors that company that first succeeds in bringing a functioning solution onto the market has the greatest chances of success.

“functioning solution” means:

• fully working implant
• long-term biocompatiility
• Acceptable degree of improvement of ability to see
• ability to move in space as with a healthy human eye
• must be simple to implant
• must be easy to deal with by the patient
• excellent technical support as well as ongoing training of ophthalmic surgeons responsible for implanting

Retina Implant has here the most promising conditions at the outset!