Technological innovation of diabetes medical equipment

UBM TechInsights and Espicom jointly disclosed the pattern and development trends of the diabetes treatment device market, technology and intellectual property.

　　UBM TechInsights and Espicom jointly released the first combined market and intellectual property analysis report on the diabetes medical device industry, which includes the latest market forecasts; detailed market and product trends, opportunities and challenges facing companies; and an evaluation and analysis of 5,900 diabetes device patents.

　　Many developed and developing countries have raised the issue of the increasing prevalence of diabetes. In most developed countries, diabetes ranks fifth in mortality rates, and its incidence is increasing in developing countries as well. According to data released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 2011, the number of people with diabetes worldwide has reached 366 million. The IDF estimates that if no urgent measures are taken, this number will reach 552 million by 2030. This means that by 2030, one in ten adults will be a diabetic. However, analysis shows that the technological development of diabetes treatment and monitoring equipment has not kept pace with the spread of the disease, and the various technical solutions currently under development may not be sufficient to meet the needs of patients and hospital staff.

　　Bill Betten, senior technical advisor in the medical device field at UBM TechInsights, commented: "The prevalence of diabetes is increasing around the world, but the number of patents and application data for diabetes medical devices show that new monitoring and treatment methods are slow to develop and technological solutions are insufficient. The development of devices that can simply and accurately detect blood sugar levels continues, and the method of regularly monitoring blood viscosity and injecting insulin through syringes and injection pens still dominates, but there has been little progress in the past decade."

　　The newly released report, titled "Diabetes Market Landscape and Trends: Markets, Technologies and Intellectual Property", shows that the global diabetes treatment and equipment market is growing and is expected to reach nearly $18 billion in 2017. However, growth varies from region to region, especially the United States, Europe and other developed regions, which are facing price pressure and sales declines due to economic downturn and government cuts in medical spending. The huge demand for self-blood glucose monitoring and insulin injection products in emerging markets and developing countries has driven the growth of the global market, and some manufacturers are turning to these markets in the hope of gaining new sales growth.

　　Currently, the diabetes medical device market is dominated by six major manufacturers - Roche, Johnson & Johnson and its Animas and LifeScan, Bayer, Medtronic, Abbott, and Becton Dickinson & Company, which account for nearly 90% of the diabetes medical device market. The report shows that there are currently hundreds of companies committed to product research and development in this field. The report analyzed 5,900 diabetes device patents involving more than 500 patent assignees. Patent analysis shows that only 12 companies hold major patents, and their intellectual property rights do not cover emerging technology products on the market. This makes everyone believe that small-scale companies with unique devices still have good market opportunities and have a competitive advantage in this immature market.