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Innovation in a time of coronavirus crisis

30 Mar, 2020

by Brian J. Grim, Ph.D.


This is part of a daily blog by RFBF President Brian Grim highlighting positive business responses to the pandemic, and part of the COVIDxNOW Global Economic Leaders Consortium, which is seeking to deliver innovative solutions for COVID19.


A WSJ op-ed argues that the real cure for the coronavirus will come from private research and innovation that offer promising new leads.

“Innovation isn’t superfluous — it’s central. Innovation has been both the solution and the outcome for almost all human crises, particularly when there has been a demand for strides forward in practical application of technical or scientific knowledge,” according to Thomas J. Graham, MD, a clinical professor and director of strategic planning and innovation in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone Health.

One example of that is:

Tasking 1 ventilator to do the work of 4

Prisma Health developed VESper™, a new device that allows one ventilator to support up to four patients under emergency use authorization by the FDA. It is currently being used in New York according to Reuters and the NYT.

While not ideal, and even dangerous, this innovation could mean the difference between some care or no care as the coronavirus spreads.