The world market of implants destined to orthopedic surgery and traumatology has experienced during the last years a strong period of expansion, linked in good measure to the development of new products and to the increase of the sanitary cost in the main developed countries. Thus, in the last decade the average annual variation rate stood at around 15%, with the market accounting for 19 trillion dollars at the end of the period. The forecasts for the next decade point to growth of the same order in a context of an increase in the percentage of older people and the maintenance of the aforementioned factors that explain the favorable evolution of the last decade.
Other factors such as increased incidence and prevalence of spinal disorders; development of technologically advanced, safe and cost-effective spinal devices; global increase in old age and the obese population; and the growing demand for minimally invasive spine surgery are driving the growth of the spinal implant market and surgical devices. However, factors such as strict regulations for the sale of state-of-the-art medical devices, high processing costs and the lack of adequate reimbursement in developing countries can restrict the growth of spinal implant market if adequate measures are not taken on time.
From the point of view of the products, the segment of knee implants reached in 2014 a volume of 5.9 trillion dollars, that is, 20.5% of the total value. It is followed by hip implants, with 4.5 trillion dollars, and spinal implants, with 4.3 trillion dollars, so that these three segments account for just over 55% of the total value of the global production of implants destined for orthopedic surgery and traumatology. The structure of the offer maintains a high concentration around seven multinational companies, mostly of American origin. This group of operators maintains a quota in the world market close to 85% of the total value.
According to recent studies, there is a direct relationship between technological innovation measured in the number of patents and the growth of income and employment of companies in the area. Likewise, the characteristics of the generated patents, which enjoy great commercial applicability, allow estimating that close to 90% of them could be the embryo of new companies that exploited the development of that patent.
Implant companies have seen an increase in the weight of electronic commerce in recent years. Thus, in 2017 most of the US hospitals, whose number is estimated at 6,800, made use of this supply system, mainly for the acquisition of medical devices. The volume of operations managed through this mechanism represents 10% of the total of 100,000 million euros that hospitals spend annually on medical and surgical supplies, pointing out the tendencies to a strong and sustained growth.
The US market for the conservation of spinal mobility devices is estimated to reach $ 3540 million by 2018.Likewise It is estimated a double-digit growth in the global market for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) which further drives the global market for implant spine; a clear example is the spinal fusion, which corresponds to a surgical procedure that prepares two adjacent vertebral bodies to fuse, forming a fused bone. The new Mobility Preservation Devices allow preserving the natural movement of the spine, unlike the spinal fusion techniques used previously.
Mobility conservation technologies are believed to revolutionize minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for spinal fusion, a sub-segment of the spinal fusion market, consisting of devices and procedures associated with less invasive surgery. Posterior screw / rod and intersomatic devices are implanted with minimal surgical damage to the patient, leading to faster recovery times. The number of MIS procedures is estimated to grow by 18% until 2015.
It is important to bear in mind that an adequate combination of private initiatives (entrepreneur spirit, trained human capital, developed business fabric) and direct government support to companies (favorable economic environment, development of adequate infrastructures) are the fundamental axes for further promote the implant market for orthopedic surgery and traumatology.