Aseptuva Ltd is developing a pioneering medical device designed to combat hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) by integrating a UV-emitting component directly with central venous catheters (CVCs). Enabled by the ‘RTO Catapult Grant’ scheme from Innovate UK Business Growth, Health Tech Enterprise (HTE) collaborated with Aseptuva to deliver two complementary workstreams: an in-depth overview of NHS medical device procurement pathways and an early Budget Impact Model (BIM) to quantify the financial benefits of adoption across three NHS care settings.
The Challenge
Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are one of the most serious and costly complications in hospital care. Each infection can trigger a cascade of consequences: extended ICU stays, prolonged antibiotic courses, and in the worst cases, patient mortality. The financial burden on the NHS is substantial a single CLABSI event carries an estimated cost to the NHS of between £6000 – £13,000 when all associated care is accounted for.
While products such as Tegaderm and BioPatch have improved infection control in critical care and general wards over the past decade, there remains a significant unmet need particularly in oncological services. Patients receiving Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) frequently rely on CVCs for extended periods, accumulating millions of catheter days annually across England. Despite this, few advanced infection-prevention solutions are currently deployed in this population.
To support their commercial strategy, Aseptuva approached HTE to generate two forms of evidence: a clear assessment of how the NHS procures medical devices, and a robust economic framework to demonstrate the value of their innovation to NHS decision-makers.
The Solution: Aseptuva’s Far-UVC adaptor
Aseptuva’s device incorporates their safe Far-UVC technology directly within a CVC assembly, providing continuous antimicrobial protection at the catheter site in a hands-free manner. By reducing microbial colonisation and biofilm formation, the device has the potential to cut CLABSI rates, lower the frequency of dressing and CVC changes, and reduce nurse time, combatting three of the most material cost drivers in catheter care.
Critically, the device’s extended wear interval, compared to the standard of care, creates a compelling resource-utilisation case, particularly in oncology where patients may remain catheterised for extended treatment cycles.
Our Approach
HTE delivered two parallel workstreams:
NHS Procurement Intelligence. HTE conducted a targeted review of the NHS procurement landscape, identifying the specific tender frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems through which a device such as Aseptuva’s could reach the market. The review also examined how competing products are procured and benchmarked their pricing against the NHS Drug Tariff, providing Aseptuva with intelligence on competitor positioning and an informed understanding of the commercial pathway ahead.
Early Budget Impact Model (BIM). HTE developed an interactive, flexible Budget Impact Model to estimate the NHS financial impact of Aseptuva adoption across three healthcare settings: critical care, general hospital wards, and oncological services (SACT). The model was built on a targeted literature review and real-world NHS data, using catheter days as the primary population metric, a methodologically robust measure endorsed by NICE guidance, that captures both patient numbers and duration of catheter exposure.
The model was constructed to be both rigorous and practical. Conservative assumptions were applied throughout, and the tool was designed to be configurable, allowing Aseptuva to adapt inputs for specific hospitals or trusts, test alternative market share scenarios, and explore the sensitivity of results to key variables. A deterministic sensitivity analysis (DSA) was embedded to identify and communicate the model’s principal cost drivers.
Project Outcomes
NHS Procurement Strategy. The procurement review gave Aseptuva a clearly mapped route to market, with specific framework opportunities identified and competitor pricing benchmarked. This output will directly inform Aseptuva’s UK go-to-market strategy.
Health Economic Results. The BIM modelled approximately 4 million catheter days per year in the oncological setting alone, reflecting the extent of CVC dependency among SACT patients. Across the three populations, the model demonstrated that the cost implications of adopting Aseptuva in critical care are modest and well within NHS budget thresholds. In the oncological setting, however, the model points to substantial potential savings driven by the significant reduction in dressing change frequency that the device enables.
The sensitivity analysis confirmed the two key value drivers for Aseptuva and even under conservative assumptions, the model indicates that Aseptuva’s extended-wear profile offers a compelling economic case, particularly for oncology units managing high-volume, long-duration CVC patients.
“Working with HTE gave us both the commercial intelligence and the health economic evidence to make a credible case to NHS decision-makers. The Budget Impact Model is a flexible tool we can take directly into conversations with trusts and commissioners” Eashan Saikia. CTO and Co-founder Aseptuva
Services Delivered
- Health Economic Analysis: Budget Impact Model
- NHS Procurement & Market Access Strategy
- Competitor Pricing & NHS Drug Tariff Analysis
