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 of 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: Pressure infusion devices.
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
Pressure infusion devices is a key innovation area in the medical devices industry
Pressure infusion devices are devices used to pressurise a bag containing intravenous fluids such as hormones and antibiotics to increase the infusion rate into the patient in a regulated manner. These are frequently used in emergency treatments. When compared with the manual infusion process, pressure infusion devices are error-free and provide controlled infusion.
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 20 companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of pressure infusion devices.
Key players in pressure infusion devices – 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 pressure infusion devices
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| DEKA Research and Development | 246 | Unlock company profile |
| DexCom | 232 | Unlock company profile |
| Abbott Laboratories | 210 | Unlock company profile |
| Medtronic | 136 | Unlock company profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 36 | Unlock company profile |
| BIONIME | 27 | Unlock company profile |
| Becton Dickinson and Co | 26 | Unlock company profile |
| ConvaTec Group | 17 | Unlock company profile |
| YourBio Health | 14 | Unlock company profile |
| Johnson & Johnson | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Terumo | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Otsuka Holdings | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| Sanmina | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| Senseonics Holdings | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| Tandem Diabetes Care | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| Biolinq | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Labrador Diagnostics | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| WaveForm Technologies | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Boston Scientific | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Hitachi | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
DEKA Research and Development is one of the leading patent filers in the field of pressure infusion devices. Some other key patent filers in the field include DexCom, Abbott Laboratories and Medtronic.
In terms of application diversity, Hitachi leads the pack, followed by WaveForm Technologies and BIONIME. By means of geographic reach, Johnson & Johnson held the top position, followed by Labrador Diagnostics and Biolinq in second and third spots, respectively.
Pressure infusion devices have improved the process of transfusion of blood and other fluids with no compromise on safety and efficiency. The market expansion is anticipated by the elevated incidence of chronic illnesses, growing need for emergency blood transfusions, expanding R&D activities, and technological developments.
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.
