CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Clinic has released its list of Top 10 Medical Innovations for next year.


What You Need To Know

  • The innovations range from technology to medications

  • The list is compiled by clinicians and researchers at the Cleveland Clinic

  • The list shows innovations that are moving health care forward

First up is gene therapy for hemoglobinopathies. Simply put, research for gene therapy for blood disorders will help people, such as those with sickle cell anemia, make hemoglobin molecules that'll function properly.

Next on the list is a novel drug for primary progress multiple sclerosis. The drug is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

Bluetooth enabled pacemakers are another innovation we can expect to see next year. The pacemakers can be monitored with a mobile app and help patients keep better track of their health data.

Patients who suffer from cystic fibrosis will see a new medicine on the market in 2021. It's a class of drugs called CFTR modulators. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it was approved by the FDA in October 2019 and will provide relief to 90% of people who have the disease.

No. 5 on the list is a universal hepatitis C treatment. A new approved drug is expected to vastly improve treatment of the virus.

Moving on to No.6: Bubble CPAP, a ventilation strategy, will help increase lung function in premature babies. It's non-invasive and safer for babies.

Telemedicine has become huge during the pandemic and in 2020-21, it's expected to continue expanding. Telehealth appointments will be more easily accessible.

This next one is for mothers who have just given birth. It's a vacuum-induced uterine tamponade device for postpartum hemorrhage. It's job is to help stop excessive bleeding following childbirth.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death in men in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Association. Two newly approved PARP inhibitors will help repair damaged tumor DNA in people who have a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation.

The last innovation on the list will help the 38 million people in the country that suffer from migraines. New medications to help fight migraines started to be prescribed in 2020.

The innovations on this list were all picked by a panel of clinicians and researchers at the Cleveland Clinic.