Medical Device Developments : All issues
Medical Device Developments 2009 Vol. 4
2009 was perhaps one of the most economically challenging years for some time. While some businesses failed to survive, others took advantage of the situation and strengthened their positions through acquisitions. The biggest casualties were innovation and the product pipeline. GlobalData looks at the downturn's impact on project financing and the vital role SMEs play in supporting the sector. As well as the financial crisis, it has been suggested that innovation is stifled by regulation. As Eucomed's John Brennan reveals, this coming year will be no different. He investigates some regulatory changes that will require device manufacturers to provide clinical evidence as to their assertions. This issue also includes the second part of our rundown of products that have shaped the medical device field in the past ten years. It has been a decade of innovation that has ultimately benefited the patient. |
Medical Device Developments 2009 Vol. 3
Over the past few months the industry and its manufacturers have continued to perform relatively well against a backdrop of continued economic worry. The question of US healthcare reform has become much more of an issue for medical device manufacturers. A perhaps more pressing matter is possible new regulation governing the promotion of device products. As Thomas C Novelli explains, growing concerns over the information being made available to vendors when looking to purchase devices may lead to a tightening of regulations by the US FDA. The use of software in ma3nufacturing is growing in importance and so too is the work being done by software developers. Daniel J Staresinic, Thomas W Maurer and Rami Azulay look at the levels of investment into software and what they might mean for an increasingly money-conscious sector. There is also a rundown of ten of the leading innovations in the medical device field, with a further ten to come in the next edition. |
Medical Device Developments 2009 Vol. 2
Although the global medical device industry has escaped the worst of the global economic downturn there is still a need to be more calculated about risk and to scale back ideas. In this issue Eucomed's Rosanna Tarricone examines this trend in the light of reduced healthcare expenditure. Moving on from finance, the key driver in the device sector has always been innovation. Public and private companies as well as academia are working to find the 'next big thing'. Dr Terry Clyburn and Daniel Steines discuss some of the inventive work being done to tailor joint replacement products to the specific needs of patients. The cover story focuses on the efforts of Dr Stephanie Lacour and her team at Cambridge University to find a method of enabling patients to wear devices. This project has been hampered by an array of issues such as the use of chemicals and heat affection electronic function. Despite this, there is great potential in the stretchable electronics project. |
Medical Device Developments 2009 Vol. 1
These past three months have been some of the most economically challenging for quite some time, but the medical device sector is renowned for being one of the most robust in the world. While there have been some bad news stories, there is also plenty to be optimistic about. One thing to come out of the crisis has been the push by governments to create green economies. However, according to Bill Roth, while the industry is doing a great job of developing new technologies, its record is not so good on environmental responsibility – or it’s keeping rather quiet on the matter. In our cover story we investigate the work that the sector is doing to be more environmentally conscious and the business case that lies behind it. Regional and domestic sectors face their own challenges over the coming months, as Eucomed's John Wilkinson explains. Europe is facing a difficult time as the lack of available funding begins to take its toll. |
Medical Device Developments 2008 Vol. 4
In this edition pioneering scientist Dr Robert Langer shares his thoughts on the current state of the medical device sector. More is needed to be done to secure funding for some of the most crucial and exciting research projects being carried out. He also considers what the election of Barack Obama might mean for the medical field and talks about ways of attracting younger talent to the industry. Also in this issue, Kevin Stout of the Supply Chain Council considers how reassessing the supply chain structure can help make a business more competitive through efficiency. While this particular function is crucial to ensuring cost-effectiveness and reputation, very few companies are aware of the benefits of continual evaluation and cross-industry collaboration. Meanwhile, Thomas C Novelli of the MDMA discusses the proposed US healthcare reform. He explores what it will mean for the industry and how innovation and new technologies will be affected. |
Medical Device Developments 2008 Vol. 3
Medical devices are getting smaller and smaller as manufacturers and the medical community as a whole push to reduce the impact of implantation and application on the end user. Nanotechnology has had a major effect on the way devices are designed and used. Dr Diana Hodgins has recently completed a four-year research project into the reduction of electrical circuitry for medical devices. In our special report she explains her findings and what they mean for the future development of smaller and more adaptable devices. Also within this edition of Medical Device Developments, we look at the investment opportunities within the German device market. Meanwhile, Jeremy Gilbert explains the innovation needed to increase wear and compatibility of joint replacement implants. |
Medical Device Developments 2008 Vol. 2
The innovative device sector never fails to amaze. Synthetic silk "spun like a spider" is one development that could dramatically change the way in which clinicians meet the demand for bone substitutes. Our cover story investigates the practical uses of this innovation and how it might realistically be adopted. The use of Bluetooth technology has also changed the way we operate and its influence in the device market is clear. Devices often utilise Bluetooth's capabilities to communicate with their local environment. Our report looks at the technology and the benefits it will offer both patients and practitioners alike. Meanwhile, regulation continues to play its part in shaping the global sector. While its impact is influential during the design and development of a device, accreditation and manufacture, authorities have a responsibility to assist manufacturers in the wider market, as Tony Sant and Dr Evangeline Loh explain. |
Medical Device Developments 2008 Vol. 1
Medical devices, like the industry itself, are going through continual change; a new technology can shape the development of a product, direction of a company and ultimately future treatments for patients. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is an ageing global population. In response to this device manufacturers are having to look at new technologies while physicians and clinicians focus on new techniques for allowing people to grow old and maintain their quality of life. Lorrie Kelly investigates the growing pressure arising from the increased need for hip and knee replacement surgeries and how manufacturers are responding. The recent development of a microchip might, some time soon, allow amputees to control their prosthetic limbs by simple thought. Dr Justin C Sanchez talks about his team's work, how it could change the lives of patients and what it might mean for the future of certain medical devices. |
Medical Device Developments 2007 Vol. 2
In this issue we look at the ways medical device manufacturers are improving the fight against medical-related infections. Jason O Clevenger Ph.D looks at how the industry is working to reduce the risk of infection from medical implants through the use of antimicrobial coatings. Eucomed's director general, Maurice Wagner, asks why the European market is lagging behind its global counterparts in R&D and offers some solutions to boosting investment and hence innovation. The growing popularity of air filters has been welcomed by manufacturers, particularly promoting the message that they can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Despite this and the use by hospitals of air filters in some applications, Sean Duggan tells Medical Device Developments they are not yet being used to their full potential and calls on clinicians to improve their knowledge of these potentially life-saving tools. |
