The Intellectual Property Yardstick

Out of curiosity, since I see Medtronic so frequently on patents and patent applications, I decided to take a one month snapshot, from July 25 to August 24 (today) of patent applications referencing the phrase "medical device" and examine it for the patent assignee company or other company reference. Here's what came out:

Medtronic's dominance (38 patents for medical devices in one month) of the intellectual property game is pretty astounding. It begs the question of how a player can hope to dominate the market without having some technological advantage, and whether pursuing a campaign of patent strength will correlate with success in the market.

These are just questions.

Medtech analysis test drive

We've added a new feed to our list of rss/xml feeds on medical technology content. The new feed is entitled, "Sample content from the medtech reports of MedMarket Diligence, LLC." Here, we will regular post excerpts and other sample data from the library of medical technology market reports we have published (or are about to publish). We want our audience to get a feel for what the detail is in these 200+ page reports.

The xml link is here.

Tags: medtech

Energy-Based Devices in General Surgery

The dynamic market for energy-based devices used in general surgery is growing steadily with compounded annual growth rates of 12% projected for the short term. This market includes devices based on ultrasonic, radio frequency (RF), light, thermal, hydromechanical, cryogenic and microwave technologies.

The popularity of ultrasonic devices is due in large part to the fact that they do not utilize heat when sealing tissues, thus effectively eliminating smoke from the operating room. This can reduce costs for hospitals as the absence of smoke eliminates the need for smoke evacuation systems. Meanwhile, the lack of smoke also improves the surgeon’s line of vision. Also to their benefit, ultrasonic surgical instruments combine cutting, grasping and coagulation into one tool set, thus further reducing cost while also reducing surgical time as there is no longer a need for intraoperative instrument exchanges. Lastly, patient safety is enhanced because with ultrasonic systems, there is no electric current passing though the patient’s body, which can result in lateral tissue damage.

The second largest segment in the market for energy-based devices used in general surgery comprises devices based on RF energy, which (like laser systems) rely on thermal welding to achieve tissue coagulation. RF devices comprise roughly 27% of the overall market for devices used in general surgery. Growth in this market segment is being driven by the introduction of new technologies into the marketplace.

Thermal energies, which are used most often in surgeries to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and menorrhagia, also have application in general surgery, however, less than 5% of the market is devoted to these systems. Newly developed hydromechanical (based on water-jet technology), cryogenic, and microwave systems also are being introduced into the market, thus further fueling market growth in devices designed for general surgery.

Many developments have occurred among the manufacturers in this dynamic market over the last several months.

(Further details in August 2006 MedMarkets.)

Tags: startup, medtech, ablation

August 2006 startup medtech companies

These are the startup companies we identified and have published in the August 2006 issue of MedMarkets.

Artisan Therapeutics, Inc. -- Framingham, MA; no URL
Andrew Tehnologies, Inc. -- Haddonfield, NJ; http://andewtechnologies.com [under contruction]
Nitric BioTherapeutics, Inc. -- Brisol, PA; no URl
Recovery Science, LLC -- Hollywood, MD; no URL
SurgiQuest, Inc. -- Fairfield, CT; no URL

Source: MedMarkets, August 2006, MedMarket Diligence, LLC

Tags: startup, medtech, obesity, surgery, wounds

Biomaterials Stimulating Orthpedic Growth

The total world market for all orthopedic devices and materials was worth $20 billion in 2005 and is growing at annual rates in the range 7-10%; the US accounts for almost half the market overall. A major contributor to the market, both in terms of size and growth, is orthopaedic biomaterials. This segment contributed $4.6 billion (23%) to the global orthopaedic market in 2005 and furthermore is growing considerably faster than the market overall, with a predicted CAGR in the region of 15% over the next five years. The buoyant performance of this sector is due to a combination of several factors, including demographic and lifestyle changes, the emergence of new types of biomaterials offering significant improvements in performance, the premium prices associated with novel high-tech products, and evolving attitudes among orthopaedic surgeons.

From August 2006 issue of MedMarkets and forthcoming MedMarket Diligence report #M625.

Tags: medtech, orthopedic, biomaterials