The medical devices industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by increased need for homecare, preventative treatments, early diagnosis, reducing patient recovery times and improving outcomes, as well as a growing importance in technologies such as machine learning, augmented reality, 5G and digitalisation. In the last three years alone, there have been over 450,000 patents filed and granted in the medical devices industry. , according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Medical Devices: Bioresorbable stent coating. Buy the report here.

Smarter leaders trust GlobalData

However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

150+ innovations will shape the medical devices industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the medical devices industry using innovation intensity models built on over 550,000 patents, there are 150+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, neurostimulation therapy, smart physiotherapy devices, and real-time IR thermographic imaging are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Precision radiotherapy, electric atomisers, and bio-active prosthesis coating are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are bioresorbable stent coating and cryogenic tissue treatment, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the medical devices industry

Bioresorbable stent coating is a key innovation area in the medical devices industry

Bioreabsorbable stents are typically made from polylactic acid which is the same material used in dissolvable sutures. These stents do not leave any metal body behind and hence, the possibility of late-stent thrombosis and restenosis decreases. Bioabsorbable stents help in improved drug delivery compared to metallic stents.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies.  According to GlobalData, there are 220+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of bioresorbable stent coating.

Key players in bioresorbable stent coating – a disruptive innovation in the medical devices industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to bioresorbable stent coating

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Abbott Laboratories 717 Unlock Company Profile
Medtronic 639 Unlock Company Profile
Boston Scientific 565 Unlock Company Profile
Johnson & Johnson 464 Unlock Company Profile
Terumo 314 Unlock Company Profile
W. L. Gore & Associates 256 Unlock Company Profile
Becton Dickinson and Co 254 Unlock Company Profile
Cook Group 222 Unlock Company Profile
Hellman & Friedman 181 Unlock Company Profile
Biotronik 178 Unlock Company Profile
Micell Technologies 172 Unlock Company Profile
MicroPort Scientific 121 Unlock Company Profile
Getinge 109 Unlock Company Profile
Vactronix Scientific 90 Unlock Company Profile
Blue Sail Medical 82 Unlock Company Profile
LifeTech Scientific 78 Unlock Company Profile
Cardinal Health 76 Unlock Company Profile
Elixir Medical 74 Unlock Company Profile
Merit Medical Systems 68 Unlock Company Profile
Medinol 67 Unlock Company Profile
Kona Gold Beverage 65 Unlock Company Profile
Baxter International 64 Unlock Company Profile
3M 60 Unlock Company Profile
OrbusNeich 56 Unlock Company Profile
Sofradim Production 54 Unlock Company Profile
Mati Therapeutics 53 Unlock Company Profile
Koninklijke Philips 51 Unlock Company Profile
AbbVie 47 Unlock Company Profile
Freudenberg 47 Unlock Company Profile
BVW Holding 42 Unlock Company Profile
Biotyx Medical (Shenzhen) 41 Unlock Company Profile
Teijin 41 Unlock Company Profile
InspireMD 40 Unlock Company Profile
B. Braun Melsungen 37 Unlock Company Profile
OrbusNeich Medical 37 Unlock Company Profile
Cardiatis 36 Unlock Company Profile
MiMedx Group 36 Unlock Company Profile
Zorion Medical 35 Unlock Company Profile
Advanced Cardiovascular Systems 34 Unlock Company Profile
Japan Stent Technology 33 Unlock Company Profile
Taewoong Medical 33 Unlock Company Profile
M.I.Tech 32 Unlock Company Profile
Cgbio 32 Unlock Company Profile
Concept Medical 32 Unlock Company Profile
Hothouse Medical 30 Unlock Company Profile
Q3 Medical Devices 30 Unlock Company Profile
Surgalign Holdings 28 Unlock Company Profile
Smith & Nephew 27 Unlock Company Profile
Aveni 27 Unlock Company Profile
Exogenesis 26 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Abbott Laboratories is one of the leading patent filers in the field of bioresorbable stent coating. Some other key patent filers in the field include Medtronic and Boston Scientific.

In terms of application diversity, Aveni leads the pack, followed by Abbott Laboratories and 3M. By means of geographic reach, Cardiatis holds the top position, followed by Johnson and Johnson and Baxter International in the second and third spots, respectively. 

Improvements and advancements in stent-coating technologies, materials, and platforms have been incorporated into the latest generation of drug eluting stents (DES) that are developed with biodegradable polymer and polymer-free coatings, bioengineered surfaces, and novel antiproliferative drugs. The market entry of the next generation of DES with biodegradable polymer/polymer-free coatings will boost with the establishment of their safety, efficacy, and performance compared with the DES that are currently used in clinical practice.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the medical devices industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Medical Devices.

Data Insights

From

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.

GlobalData

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.