Showcase for global innovation

Although the medical equipment market has been hit by financial pressures and the eurozone crisis, in recent years, market growth rates in Western Europe are predicted to be positive over the coming years.1 Market intelligence highlights the fact that there is a tension between attempting to contain health costs and a desire to remain at the forefront of technological innovation. While hospitals need to invest in new medical equipment and technologies to maintain a high standard of care, healthcare services also need to become more efficient in order to cope with financial pressures. A recent German study on the worldwide healthcare sector, Weltweite Gesundheitswirtschaft – Chancen für Deutschland, also concluded that, although demand has been affected by financial pressures in the short term, providers of medical technology can assume positive market prospects in the medium and long term. Joachim Schäfer, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, (organisers of the world’s largest medical trade fair, MEDICA) commented: “The global health market is growing annually by around 6%, driven by an ageing society in many countries, strong population growth in others, as well as technology advancements. The health markets in the majority of countries are developing faster than the gross domestic product. If this trend remains unchanged, the global health market is predicted to increase from well over ?5 trillion at present, to about ?15 trillion by 2030.” Joachim Schäfer highlighted other key trends that are having a significant impact on the global medical equipment market, pointing out that, once considered to be low-price providers, major corporations from China are now taking on the “big players” that have historically dominated the market, while considerably improving the quality of their products and their range of services. In addition, companies from India, Malaysia and Thailand no longer just supply their domestic markets; whether supplying catheters, latex gloves or wound treatment products, these countries and are now competing in highly price-orientated market sectors across Europe and America. “These market developments explain why MEDICA has been able to continually build on its position as an influential platform for international business in the healthcare sector,” Joachim Schäfer continued, pointing out that the event provides a truly global focus, through a conference programme that tackles key issues of international interest, and attracting exhibitors from all over the world, as well as trade visitors from 120 countries, across all continents.

Innovation

Established over 40 years ago, the event has a long history of providing a showcase for international innovation. In the current economic climate, technologies that are likely to generate significant interest will be those that help healthcare providers make the most of limited resources (such as remote monitoring devices, aimed at avoiding costly hospital admissions) or technologies that deliver efficiencies such as medical devices that facilitate minimally invasive surgery (the latter can increase the number of operations performed in day surgery and ensure a faster turnaround of patients1). Developed countries are also witnessing increasing demand for devices that are designed to deal with health problems experienced by an ageing population – from orthopaedic implants, to cardiac monitoring devices; as well as devices designed to tackle the range of co-morbidities experienced by an increasingly obese population – from diabetes monitoring and management solutions, to bariatric theatre and hospital equipment, designed to support the specific needs of heavier patients. There are also a wide variety of exciting inventions on the horizon, designed to tackle some of the major healthcare issues of today and the future – some of these will be discussed at MEDICA, by experts from a diverse range of disciplines. Innovative concepts in the field of orthopaedic implants, for example, include the development of ‘intelligent’ prostheses, which record if an implant is fitted too loosely and transmit signals via an RFID interface to a controller unit. There are also projects underway aimed at achieving individualised and personalised telemedicine by means of linking biomedical sensors to read blood pressure, glucose, activity, weight or other physiological data to electronic media and telematic oriented data bases. The goal is improve the management of long term conditions, reduce costs and avoid emergency admissions. Director of the Heinz-Nixdorf chair of Medical Electronics at the University of Technology in Munich, Professor Bernhard Wolf reveals that he is currently developing a microchip that will make personalised tumour medicine possible – it is hoped that such a device will enable a laboratory to establish whether a patient’s tumour cells are reacting to medication. Ultimately, the technology could enable physicians to determine the most effective medication for each and every patient in the future. There are also interesting developments underway in the field of ‘neuroprosthetics’. The aim of this technology is to re-establish movement after serious spinal injuries or, for example, to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, through the use of implantable, microprocessor-controlled neuroprostheses. Other potential neural prosthetic applications include: brain activity monitoring for epilepsy prediction; vagus nerve stimulation for appetite regulation; and proprioceptive feedback for upperlimb prosthetics. Visitors to MEDICA can gain insight into these latest trends, while accessing expert knowledge from international speakers on current healthcare issues.