Tell Me a Story. Why Medical Technology Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Lifeless

Dr. Diana K. Lopez, the inspiration behind the Diana Hazardous Drug Compounding System. A story of tragedy leading to innovation.

Those of us who work in medical technology marketing are a pretty lucky bunch. We get to bring products and technologies to market that make a real difference in the lives of real people. Products that help doctors and nurses provide better care. Products that improve efficiencies and reduce the cost of care. Products that save lives.

So why is it that so much medical technology marketing is lifeless drivel when we have such a powerful story to tell?

I think some of it has to do with the long, involved, and detailed technical and clinical processes involved with bringing a product or technology to market in the first place. After years of immersion in the minutia of product development, technical iteration, clinical trials, and regulatory hurdles it can be hard to take a step back and engagingly tell the story of how and why the product came to be in the first place.

Sometimes the technologists are so enamored with their algorithms that they want to give them star billing at the expense of making an emotional connection with their audience. Sometimes it’s a lack of internal expertise and an inability or unwillingness to seek that expertise on the outside.

Whatever the reason, it’s a pity. And an opportunity missed.

This week, I happen to be lucky enough to lead the marketing team charged with bringing a breakthrough new medical technology to market. A product with a great story behind it. It’s called the Diana Hazardous Drug Compounding System and it will improve the safety of pharmacists, nurses, and patients alike. And it was borne of tragedy.

Here’s the story of Diana.

Dr. Diana Kostyra Lopez was a dedicated and caring pediatrician and the wife of my boss, ICU Medical CEO Dr. George “Doc” Lopez. Together, they raised two sons in the idyllic ocean-side community of Laguna Beach, CA, and dedicated their lives to helping others.

In 2006, Diana lost a valiant fight with breast cancer. Through that tragic event, Doc found a way to both honor the memory of his wife and fulfill a promise he made to her as she was going through cancer treatments.

During chemotherapy, Diana heard her nurses complain of a metallic taste in their mouths and discuss potential health hazards from exposure to chemotherapy drugs. She asked Doc to create a solution that would help keep clinicians safe from exposure to these toxic substances, and the result is the ICU Medical line of needlefree oncology drug delivery solutions, including the Diana system.

“Diana always cared about others more than she cared about herself,” Doc said recently. “ When her oncology nurses told her about the symptoms they were experiencing as a result of exposure to chemotherapy drugs, she tugged at my sleeve, looked up at me, and said, ‘fix it.’ I always did whatever she told me to do.”

This wasn’t the first time Doc turned tragedy into a product innovation that improved patient and caregiver safety, either. But that’s another story.