Frost: Orthopedic Medical Device Technologies Expected to Succeed

April 26, 2006

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Those who use medical device technologies for orthopedic applications want systems that offer maximum comfort with minimum physical supervision. According to Frost & Sullivan, this is driving the market to evolve technologies that use radically different approaches or make significant improvements to existing products.

Apart from greater product efficiency and ease of use, companies are also looking to provide economic advantages to end-users of orthopedic applications. However, to do so will be a challenge because of increased scrutiny of accounts and reimbursement details in the healthcare industry.

Analysts said healthcare institutions do not reimburse many procedures today and revision surgery further compounds the problem. Minimally invasive procedures are already replacing older techniques with their advantages of diminished pain and trauma, smaller scars and less blood loss. Such procedures are not only more efficient, but also cost-effective to both the healthcare industry and end-users.

Scientists are developing several other specialized technologies and instruments that can improve the lifestyles of end-users. It is vital, however, that the developing companies provide training and education for surgeons and orthopedists in the use of these new technologies to overcome any uptake reluctance.

"Patients also need to be educated and must be kept informed on the benefits and risks involved in the treatment," said Frost & Sullivan research analyst Nivedithaa. G. "There is an increasing need for patients to understand that each individual's treatment differs based on the body's ability to accept the product."

Since these devices have to be inserted in the human body and function for long periods, technology developers cannot afford to be lax about device safety. The gadgets need to be stable and fully functional, without triggering any reaction or side effects.

This need for robust devices is driving the market for orthopedic biomaterials, especially for applications with degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis. Companies have made considerable progress in technologies where materials mimic the bone in almost all aspects. These products have the potential to cannibalize the allograft market, as well as eliminate the need for an autograft.

Some European companies have materials exchange research agreements with U.S. organizations, thereby facilitating the development of newer materials. For example, the U.S. technology hedrocel imitates the spongy, porous nature of bone. A coating of biosilicon along with hedrocel technology improves bonding when implanted in bone tissue. This combination of artificial and natural materials aids the reconstruction of the target, minimizes pain and lowers the possibility of nerve compression.

"The overall biomaterials and gene therapy market is likely to grow steadily," said Nivedithaa. "Orthobiologics will experience a boom in expansion in terms of research, development, production and utility, with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies contributing significantly to this burgeoning sector."

Source: Frost & Sullivan.