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: Cardiovascular implant delivery catheters.
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
Cardiovascular implant delivery catheters is a key innovation area in the medical devices industry
A catheter is a thin, plastic tube that can be inserted into a blood vessel to administer treatment inside. The positioning of several cardiac devices, including leads, valves, and stents, requires the use of catheters. Unlike the invasive open surgical approach, this method of therapy just needs to make a small puncture site in the skin.
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 70+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of cardiovascular implant delivery catheters.
Key players in cardiovascular implant delivery catheters – 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 cardiovascular implant delivery catheters
Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
W. L. Gore & Associates | 374 | Unlock company profile |
Becton Dickinson and Co | 326 | Unlock company profile |
Edwards Lifesciences | 295 | Unlock company profile |
Abbott Laboratories | 259 | Unlock company profile |
Boston Scientific | 238 | Unlock company profile |
Medtronic | 174 | Unlock company profile |
Terumo | 149 | Unlock company profile |
Cook Group | 145 | Unlock company profile |
Advanced Bifurcation Systems | 78 | Unlock company profile |
Koninklijke Philips | 51 | Unlock company profile |
Johnson & Johnson | 49 | Unlock company profile |
Biotronik | 46 | Unlock company profile |
Silk Road Medical | 42 | Unlock company profile |
Penumbra | 34 | Unlock company profile |
Route 92 Medical | 29 | Unlock company profile |
Endologix | 28 | Unlock company profile |
Hotspur Technologies | 27 | Unlock company profile |
Bentley InnoMed | 26 | Unlock company profile |
TransAortic Medical | 26 | Unlock company profile |
RAM Medical Innovations | 24 | Unlock company profile |
Concept Medical | 22 | Unlock company profile |
Cardinal Health | 21 | Unlock company profile |
Teleflex | 21 | Unlock company profile |
Angioslide | 20 | Unlock company profile |
Blue Sail Medical | 19 | Unlock company profile |
Cook | 18 | Unlock company profile |
Contego Medical | 15 | Unlock company profile |
Kona Gold Beverage | 14 | Unlock company profile |
Ostial | 14 | Unlock company profile |
Svelte Medical Systems | 14 | Unlock company profile |
Vesper Medical | 12 | Unlock company profile |
Hellman & Friedman | 12 | Unlock company profile |
Advanced Stent Technologies | 12 | Unlock company profile |
Minvasys | 11 | Unlock company profile |
Olympus | 10 | Unlock company profile |
JenaValve Technology | 10 | Unlock company profile |
MicroPort Scientific | 10 | Unlock company profile |
Merit Medical Systems | 10 | Unlock company profile |
Colibri Heart Valve | 10 | Unlock company profile |
CorFlow Therapeutics | 9 | Unlock company profile |
Asahi Intecc | 9 | Unlock company profile |
Swat Medical | 9 | Unlock company profile |
HCA Healthcare | 9 | Unlock company profile |
Avera Health | 8 | Unlock company profile |
VASOInnovations | 8 | Unlock company profile |
Mercator MedSystems | 8 | Unlock company profile |
Nipro | 8 | Unlock company profile |
Artivion | 8 | Unlock company profile |
AngioDynamics | 8 | Unlock company profile |
Cedars-Sinai Health System | 8 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
W.L. Gore & Associates is one of the leading patent filers in the field of cardiovascular implant delivery catheters. Some other key patent filers in the field include Becton Dickinson, Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific.
In terms of application diversity, Penumbra leads the pack, followed by Concept Medical and Kona Gold Beverage, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Mercator MedSystems held the top position, followed by Kona Gold Beverage and Minvasys in the second and third spots, respectively.
Due to factors such as ageing population in developing countries, an increase in chronic and cardiovascular diseases and a lack of readily available biological replacement options, the market for cardiovascular implant delivery catheters is growing considerably. As less invasive therapies and superior medical imaging become more common, the market share will continue to rise, and the market trends will be supported by factors such as the increasing need for interventional cardiac catheterization, technical developments, and improvements in sensor technology.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the medical devices industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Medical Devices.