The medical devices industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is 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 digitalization. In the last three years alone, there have been over 710,000 patents filed and granted in the medical devices industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in medical: cardiovascular implant delivery. Buy the report here.
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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 stabilizing 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.
30+ 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 155,000 patents, there are 30+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, neuromodulation implants, shapeable guide catheters, and biopotential signal monitoring are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Fall detection monitoring, ingestible sensors, and biofeedback wearables are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are CPR assistance devices and bioabsorbable coated implants, 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 140+ 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 applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to cardiovascular implant delivery catheters
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| W. L. Gore & Associates Inc | 436 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Edwards Lifesciences Corp | 421 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Becton Dickinson and Co | 362 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Abbott Laboratories | 296 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Boston Scientific Corp | 288 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Medtronic Plc | 205 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Terumo Corp | 158 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cook Group Inc | 154 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Johnson & Johnson | 92 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Advanced Bifurcation Systems Inc | 88 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Koninklijke Philips NV | 74 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Biotronik SE & Co KG | 58 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Silk Road Medical Inc | 50 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Route 92 Medical Inc | 38 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Penumbra Inc | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bentley InnoMed GmbH | 32 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cardinal Health Inc | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TransAortic Medical Inc | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Endologix LLC | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hotspur Technologies Inc | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| RAM Medical Innovations Inc | 24 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Concept Medical Inc | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Blue Sail Medical Co Ltd | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Teleflex Inc | 21 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Angioslide Ltd | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kona Gold Beverage Inc | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Contego Medical LLC | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ostial Corporation | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Avera Health | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cook Inc | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Vesper Medical Inc | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Svelte Medical Systems Inc | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hellman & Friedman LLC | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Olympus Corp | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| VASOInnovations Inc | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Advanced Stent Technologies, Inc. | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Merit Medical Systems Inc | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Swat Medical Ab | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Stentys SA | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Incept LLC | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Colibri Heart Valve LLC | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nipro Corp | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| JenaValve Technology Inc | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CorFlow Therapeutics AG | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TriSalus Life Sciences Inc | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AllVascular Pty Ltd. | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mercator MedSystems Inc | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nexeon MedSystems Inc | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| HCA Healthcare Inc | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| The Cleveland Clinic Foundation | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
W.L. Gore & Associates is the leading patent filer in the field of cardiovascular implant delivery catheters. Some other key patent filers in the field include Edwards Lifesciences, Becton Dickinson, Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific.
In terms of application diversity, Penumbra leads the pack, followed by Concept Medical and Kona Gold Beverage. By geographic reach, Contego Medical holds the top position, followed by Kona Gold Beverage and Route 92 Medical in 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.
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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.
