I jumped the gun in my previous blog concerning input from Fresenius on their new Cycler. First thing this morning I received a response to my query to them two days ago about the new VersiPD Cycler. For completeness, I am first including my query, followed by their response which is enlightening. Consider the following to all be in quotes. And thanks to Jeff for taking the time to respond!
| Hank Feeser | Mon, Jan 16, 3:32 PM (2 days ago) |  |  |
| to Scott.Sayres |
My name is Hank Feeser, and I currently am on PD via your facility in Granbury, TX. I am reaching out to you because your name was listed as the contact person on the press release back in April 22 that announced FDA approval of the VersiPD Cycler which suggested rollout starting in 22 and gathering steam in 23. (Brad bounced me to you as the current contact.)
Fresenius personnel here know nothing of the VersiPD. When I order supplies monthly for the Liberty Cycler there are no supplies listed for the VersiPD. So my question is, what’s going on with it? When might we begin to see it roll out here in Texas?
FWIW, I am writing a blog about my PD experiences. It is located at feeser.me. You can check me out at feeser.net. I am eternally grateful for the support from Fresenius. Have you ever thought about an AI-driven interface so a patient could ask questions of the cycler, like ” hey Versi, how much longer do I have on drain? That would really really help!
Thanks in advance,
Hank Feeser
| Jeff | 7:51 AM (1 hour ago) | Â | |
| to me |
Hank,
I received your email from Scott Sayres regarding the VersiPD platform FDA clearance announcement and the current status of the product.Â
We are in an early phase of the product evaluation in a very small early user experience. This is typical for a medical device. This early user experience is focused on 2 smaller Research Clinics to ensure that the product meets our expectations for consistent reliability. This trial will likely last the entire year of 2023.
It is not surprising that many clinics and personnel have not heard of the product today. We have not started broad based promotion. Our products are recognized in the industry for their safety, reliability, in addition to innovative design. We want to ensure that this new product achieves this same expectation before we define the timeline of broader introduction in the market.  Â
Thanks for the recommendation on the voice activation for our systems. It is a great idea and will need to have a tremendous amount of testing to insure it is safe and reliable. I use both Google Home and Amazon Echo and while I enjoy the ease of use and assistance they often misunderstand my statements. Our goal is to continue to explore these types of technologies to provide improved ease of use and make dialysis a smaller part of a patients life.Â
Please let me know if you have additional questions.
Best regards,
Jeff
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