BioLogic‐HD™ and the problem of being (way) too far ahead of the market

Abstract In the 1980s, I led a team to build a hemodialysis machine with sorbent regeneration of dialysate, ultrafiltration control, and single‐needle access. The BioLogic‐HD™ was perfectly suited for home hemodialysis, but not for in‐center or acute dialysis. The home dialysis market in the United States was decimated by HCFA’s decision in 1987 to stop paying for home helpers. As a result, our Venture Capital partners stopped supporting our small company, and the BioLogic‐HD was never marketed. There is criticism of nephrologists for the lack of innovation in dialysis, but the major problem has been the commercialization of new dialysis technology.