Drug Deliv Device Co’s Need New Strategies
October 28, 2009
This morning, my client Scientia Advisors released a global market review of the parenteral drug delivery device market–that is, devices that penetrate the skin to get medication into the bloodstream or specific tissue.
The main message is that companies will need to rethink their strategies as new therapies and decentralization, in which patients manage their own care, become more prevalent.
The study reviewed the growing market for parenteral technologies such as infusion, injection, catheters and implants that penetrate patients’ skin so that medication can be released into the bloodstream or local tissue.
Based on intensive primary and secondary research and proprietary analytic techniques, Scientia projects market growth of 7%, from $11.8B in 2007 to 16.7B in 2012. Growth in the parenteral market will be driven primarily by the increasing use of biological drugs such as insulin and monoclonal antibodies, which must be delivered through the skin. (If taken orally, they are digested by the gut and rendered ineffective).
While established markets (hospitals, clinics, laboratories, ambulances and the like) are sizable, the segment’s greatest growth will come as individual consumers increasingly manage chronic diseases—such as diabetes—on their own.
Companies would do well to focus on unmet needs for absolute sterility in the production and testing processes, on new formulations for pain-free injections, and on needle-free systems.
The review is available for download from Scientia’s Web site at www.scientiaadv.com.
Scientia Advisors, based in Cambridge, MA and Palo Alto, CA, is a global management consulting firm specializing in growth strategies for health care and the life sciences.
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