Big Pharma pay some ridiculous upfronts & biobucks for drug...

Big Pharma pay some ridiculous upfronts & biobucks for drug development that cost up to $1 billion from lab to market, and bring significant binary risk at each stage of development. And plenty of these drugs, if they get to market, dont go anywhere near hitting predicted peak sales.

On the other hand, what risks are associated with our TAVR? The concept of the technology (the rod, the handle, the cage, etc) has already been proven in one way or another by others. As far as I can tell, the only unproven aspect is the efficacy of a one-piece valve. We know a valve with three leaflets stitched together works invivo. I'm assuming the lab testing of the one-piece valve (that's hit 40 million beats as of the AGM) is being put under more stresses than what might be faced in the heart.

I guess what I'm saying, and what WP has said in the past, there is risk but the probability of success is much better than drug development.