Can you give us a more
precise estimate as to when HM will become available in the Netherlands and the
rest of the world? How much sooner will Hair Multiplication become
available in the Netherlands than in other countries ?
Somehow
I got the feeling that people in your forum will not be satisfied until I give
you the exact date, month and year. An estimate is after all a projection based
on what I know at the moment. I am not sure how much further I can refine the
estimate for your group. All I can tell you is that based on what I know at this
very moment, the projection I gave you last year is still a realistic target. I
hope you understand that there are many variables or unknowns in medical
research. What I gave you was simply a projection. I certainly do not want any
of your group members to come knocking on my door exactly 5 years from the date
of our last meeting. Nobody can be that precise when it comes to medical
research. At this very moment, I still think that the estimate I gave you
last year is realistic but please do not regard this as a guarantee.
We keep hearing from people
in HairSite's forum that HM will be available in two years, do you agree with
that?
HM
will definitely be available in The Netherlands much sooner than the rest of the
world. My team is working very hard to make this happen and if everything goes
well, it will be available in The Netherlands sooner than the estimate I gave
you last year. I hope it will be "APPROXIMATELY" two years, but again
this is not a guarantee. It can be 2 years or 3 years. I cannot offer anything
more precise at this point. I hope you understand.
What is the probability that
HM will not be available in the next 4 years?
Very
unlikely unless something very radical happens. The procedure and technology is
actually available now at my clinic. But to make this a commercial application
for the general public, I need to further refine the process.
Most of us understand that
you have certain consistency issues with HM. Quite honestly, many of us would be
very pleased to settle for a varying degree of density ranging from 20% - 80% as
a temporary solution. So why wouldn't you consider bringing HM to the market now
and then perfect the procedure as we progress? Is the decision of not bringing
HM to market now a personal reason or are there external factors that prohibit
you from doing so?
It's
both. Personally, I do not wish and
I don’t think it’s ethical
to roll out a new treatment when patients are unable to get consistent results.
You are actually creating more problems than solutions by introducing a
treatment that is not ready for everyone. Also, it would help tremendously in
expediting regulatory authorities' approval process in different countries when
the clinical trials show consistent results throughout.
Do you think that health
professionals other than surgeons and dermatologists will learn to do HM and
thereby increase HM's availability?
Not
likely. It is important to be selective in screening medical professionals who
are interested in learning HM from my clinic to make sure that the treatment is
delivered to the patients in the most professional manner possible.
Will the clinic in the
Netherlands be accepting foreign patients ?
Yes.
As a matter of fact, all our existing patients worldwide will be notified as
soon as HM becomes available.
Would that be unfair to
other patients if you give preference to existing patients ?
We
anticipate an overwhelming demand for HM from patients worldwide the moment it
becomes available. Giving existing patients priority will make the
situation more manageable as the clinic expands over time to accommodate the
demand. HM patients are expected to be treated one at a time with proper care,
attention and not to be rushed in and out of the clinic like an assembly plant.
Since all existing patients had already been examined personally by me and their
personal information are already set up in my clinic's database, a lot of the
administrative hassles can be substantially reduced by attending to existing
patients first.
Do you have plans to include
Canada when HM eventually become available?
Yes,
absolutely.
Will HM be required to be
approved by an European authority besides the one in The Netherlands and how
long will this approval process take?
Yes
and No.
HM is a medical procedure,
but the procedure itself does not have to be approved. The materials as well as
the (electronic) instruments
requires approval from the respective authorities in different parts of the
world. And also, for
certain phases, we have to follow several rules and regulations.
As a general rule, the approval process for the rest of Europe should be faster
than approval from the FDA.
In the event that HM would
be released in The Netherlands before the U.S., would a person holding an
American or Canadian passport be denied access to HM treatments?
Unless
I misunderstood your question, but I do not see why that would be an issue. We
already have many patients from the U.S seeking Follicle Transplantation
procedure here at my clinic.
