A joint venture

Paul Clinton

Dr. Ivar Roth says he wants to be “the next Dr. Scholls.”

The Newport Beach podiatrist has invented about a dozen products

to reduce foot and ankle pain.

As a holder of three international patents for the products, Roth

has begun a marketing effort to expand distribution for the products.

He is working to get the products put on shelves of pharmacies all

over the nation.

Roth, who has formed his own company, Dr. Roth’s Footcare Products

LLC, now works as a small-time distributor. He has been able to place

the products into some local pharmacies and catalogs. He has also

started up his own Web site (www.drroths.com) to market his creams,

sprays and wraps.

Roth, on the staff at Hoag Hospital, invented his first device to

ease foot pain in 1994 after a dancer with Ballet Pacifica asked for

something for the sharp pain in her heel.

Inspired by the elbow and ankle wraps used by athletes, Roth said

he developed a wrapping that includes extra padding under the foot

that presses on the stretched ligament that is usually the culprit.

“The way to get rid of the pain is to get pressure on the

ligament,” Roth said.

The product was FABS, an acronym for “foot arch band support.”

It’s a simple elastic strap with a pad that sells for about $30.

At about the same time, Roth developed a similar device that,

instead of a pad, used a silicon magnet to lower pain and stimulate

blood flow by magnetizing cells. That product, MAG FABS, sells for

about $40.

To address toe and toe-nail fungus, Roth invented the “foot fixer

kit,” which includes four products and a wooden toe brush. The kit

includes a foaming foot-wash soap, foot spray, gel and foot balm.

So foot-pain sufferers could apply the products at night before

getting into bed, Roth invented Toe Covers, elastic snap-on covers to

keep the gel away from sheets.

So far, Roth says he has sold about 100,000 units of his products.

He says the products are a low-cost alternative to expensive foot

treatments.

“I want people to be able to go to the store and get medical-grade

product,” Roth said. “We want to get it into the stores of America.”