According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, “Every great invention begins with inspiration.” That’s certainly the case for Dr. James Elist. After seeing scores of patients suffering due to sexual insecurity, the leading urologist had an aha moment on a long plane flight — and the result was Penuma and its latest iteration, Himplant, the first Food and Drug Administration-cleared aesthetic penile implant.
“Watching all these patients coming to the office, seeing some of them honestly crying, and saying, ’I have a major damage, psychological damage. I went to make my penis bigger. Now it is smaller,’ or ‘Now I have an infection,’ or, ‘I have all this kind of problem,’” Elist shares.
“It came to my mind one day while I was traveling to Dubai because I used to go there to see the patients. On the plane, which is the best place — there is no phone, no calls, nothing at all — it came to my mind: Maybe we can use the same thing as a breast implant, making an implant under the penis.”
Penuma is a male enhancement implant that’s inserted beneath the penile skin to increase its girth. It also has medical applications beyond aesthetics, as it has been shown to alleviate mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, and correct curvature caused by Peyronie’s disease, and other areas.
Why Penuma?
Dr. James Elist was driven to develop Penuma after noticing the void in the market for an effective male enhancement solution. It wasn’t just that some of these products were ineffective, but that some could pose a health risk to patients. On a more personal level, the invention of Penuma was an intellectual challenge.
More than anything, however, the biggest inspiration was Dr. Elist’s patients. He was deeply impacted by the stories he heard from them, from feelings of inadequacy to botched gel injections and dermal grafts such as alloderm. It was all very unsettling, and he wanted to create a lasting solution for his patients.
“Fueled by the conviction that there had to be a better solution, I was driven to innovate,” he told Authority Magazine. “It was clear that what we needed wasn’t just an improvement, but a revolution in treatment options. The journey from idea to business, therefore, became more than a professional endeavor — it was a mission. This mission, powered by the real and pressing needs of my patients, propelled me through the challenges of transforming a vision into a viable, life-changing reality.”
Transforming Ideas Into Reality
Coming up with the idea was only the first step. The real challenge was transforming Elist’s idea into reality. His journey from inception to the creation of Penuma is instructive to innovators out there, especially those who are sitting on the precipice of something amazing but don’t know how to turn their ideas into reality.
What made Penuma a success was the deep dive into research of existing problems and solutions. Elist found a gap in the market and created a solution to address that gap. His decades of experience as a leading urologist made that task easy.
He started working with a team to develop a prototype. His medical knowledge and experience were supplemented by engineering teams that could deliver his vision. Once he had the prototype ready, the next step was keeping it all under wraps.
Guarding your intellectual property is essential. At the same time, however, Dr. James Elist discussed his concept with trusted peers to develop his invention and ensure he was not blindsiding himself to issues.
Once he had the prototype sorted, the next was to develop a robust business plan. He collaborated with funders and formed strategic partnerships. After securing the funding, he was ready to create the impact he had set out to have.
“It’s a testament to the power of perseverance, creativity, and the relentless pursuit of making a difference,” Elist shared.
Behind Penuma’s Success
A significant reason for Penuma’s success is that it’s a unique solution to a pervasive problem. Given that his invention had medical applications, Dr. James Elist wanted to ensure he had the regulatory thumbs upapproval, which meant securing an FDA clearance.
The clearance process was a challenge in its own right. Nonetheless, Elist persevered and obtained FDA clearance. This was a major achievement because currently, Himplant is the only aesthetic penile enlargement product on the market that’s been cleared by the FDA. This in itself gives it a huge advantage over competing products. For instance, gel injections that have gained in popularity in recent years aren’t cleared by the FDA.
Said Elist, “My most significant source of inspiration has been the patients themselves. Observing the transformative effects of the Penuma and Himplant on their lives has been a driving force, reinforcing my dedication to overcoming obstacles and steadfastly pursuing advancements in male enhancement.”
