» » It doesn’t matter anymore, even if they found someone to fund phase 3,
» it
» » will be easily 5 years away. That ain’t gonna help.
»
» Yup…the only hope I have is that they figure out the right technique in
» phase-II (we’ll know next year) and then maybe proceed with
» commercialization in another country in H2 2009.
One thing I have never heard talked about in depth (I’ve been reading hairsite regularly since 2002) is the business model of how this product would be released and used. I know there is the common thought that this will market itself, but you know in the world of business, nothing markets itself.
Also, as Kemp said, Intercytex is a research company and I bet they have virtually no interest in having a hands on day to day working of their product. They will see their profits in the licensing.
ok, maybe this isn’t the best analogy but Bill Gates doesnt own a computer store…
I have had the good fortune of being in at the startup of numerous small businesses (60k to 3million)and I can only say it is a massive massive massive undertaking. And that is just a small business with a handful of employees. I can only assume what it must take to do an international release… and what other company in the world could really do that, let alone do it right now? I can only think it would be Bosley. They are set up all over the US and a few dozen other countries. (I would assume that is where small scale commerialization may come in. Another country that might not need all three phases of clearance.)
And yes, its true, this will be used as the biggest sales pitch to sell more Bosley transplants. I bet they are strategizing on the next series of late night infomercials, but as much as this is a curse, you could also look at it as a blessing because they could get this to market quicker than anyone else. If you don’t believe me, just try and open up a business… Even with money, its still tremendously time consuming and difficult, so Intercytex should be kept out of the loop. Its not their specialty and they probably would be really bad at it. And personally I think it wouldn’t really be much better to launch this treatment going through individual transplant docs. All but a few are rooted in the middle ages as it is with their techniques, and who ultimately would market this? I mean, the doctors with the best reputations on this board really couldn’t afford to market this nationwide. I know we all feel that all it would take is to get this out on some national news program but I think the reality is we make up a small fraction of a tiny percent of the population with our relentless obsession with hair, so the reality is that you would still need a massive marketing campaign for the general public. And who already does that as we speak? Bosley… infomercials, DVD’s in the mail, websites, print advertising, established storefronts, etc. etc… Its become a household name. You say Bosley to anyone one the street and they think of hair, you mention Armani and they think of a nice suit.
The barrier to commercial success for ICX-TRC is relatively low, being the ability to increase hair count in transplanted or thinning areas.
I wonder why this hasnt been talked about more. I think they covertly answered the question as to how effective the product they currently have is. I know this is a disappointment as it is not a true cure but seems it is a definite adjunct in the positive. It seems as they are saying they have something that will regrow hair, but its not going to stand alone. So I suppose if that is true, you might be a good candidate depending on where you are along with your loss, and also what your goals are, as in trying to advance 1 or 2 norwood scales, or 5 or 6, overall thickening or a complete restart? I also guess that the current pictures show growth, but are mostly unimpressive cosmetically to someone in the general public. Sparse regrowth does not attract investors and is most likely not a good selling point to the uneducated. But if you look at the transplant board, there are growing numbers of people trying chest hair, arm pit hair and even pubic hair to fill in the blanks on their scalp. This is probably a welcome product for that segment of the population, but like I said, to the average guy that doesn’t lurk on these boards, they probably wouldn’t give it the time of day.
My guess, for what its worth, is that Bosley will use this to sell more hairmill transplants, but since we are light years more educated that the average consumer looking for getting more hair, we can approach this sensibly. I bet they will try and sell you a bad hairline along with TRC, but my guess is you can shrewdly get the ICX treatment at Bosley and FUE work at a more reputable, skilled doctor to refine the framing of the face, because the bottom line for Bosley is the bottom line… making money. And trust me, I’m not championing Bosley at all… I think its a shame that it seems to be going this route but you have to look at it from a business point of view and how both parties are going to maximize their efforts to make the most amount of money they possibly can.
I wouldn’t count TRC out completely, but possibly a moderately good workable step in the right direction.
But yeah, at least three more years… thats sucks, dudes.
