The medical devices industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the increased need for homecare, preventative treatments, early diagnosis, reducing patient recovery times and improving outcomes, as well as a growing importance of 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: ingestible sensors. 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

Indigestible sensors is a key innovation area in medical devices

Ingestible sensors are small, capsuled devices capable of gathering data about the state of gastrointestinal health and associated disorders upon consumption. Images, core temperature values, pH measurements, pressure readings, and chemical components like enzymes, hormones, and metabolites can be captured and sent over the internet to remote monitoring systems. These devices are replacing standard health monitoring devices as they run on less power, while being non-invasive, highly sensitive, reliable, and selective.

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 40+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of indigestible sensors.

Key players in indigestible sensors – 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 ingestible sensors

Biora Therapeutics is the leading patent filer in the indigestible sensors market. Some other leading patent filers include Rani Therapeutics, Vibrant, and Novo Nordisk Foundation.

In terms of application diversity, PTT leads the pack, followed by Clear Creek Bio and Corporation For Penn State. By means of geographic reach, Rani Therapeutics holds the top position, followed by Pop Test Abuse Deterrent Technology and EarLens in second and third spots, respectively.

The ingestible sensors market is expected to grow throughout the forecast period, due to an increase in population and incidence of gastrointestinal disorders. Additionally, a growing preference for minimally invasive procedures among patients and doctors is also contributing to the growth of this market.

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

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.