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The Aging Population of the World to Form a Huge Patient Pool for Orthopaedic Surgery
The world’s population is rapidly aging due to an average increase in life expectancy over the last century. This aging population is leading to an increase in chronic diseases, of which orthopaedic diseases top the charts.
 The prevalence of orthopaedic diseases such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and degenerative disc diseases (DDDs), for example, have increased over the last 20 years and are still growing. This large pool of the aging population, especially in the developed economies, is expected to translate into a large patient pool for orthopaedic surgeries.
The global orthopaedic pipeline currently has approximately 600 products in the various stages of development. When distributed between four broadly classified types of spinal surgery products, joint reconstruction products, orthobiologics and trauma fixation, spinal surgery has the highest amount of research and development (R&D) investments. Spinal surgery constitutes to nearly 45% of the overall product pipeline for orthopaedic devices in 2009.
Knee replacements will continue to remain the largest segment in the global joint reconstruction market.
The knee replacement market is forecast to grow with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9% during 2009 – 2016 and reach a value of 13.5 billion in 2016. The fastest growing segments in the joint reconstruction category during 2009 – 2016 will be shoulder and elbow replacement. The increasing use of arthroscopic elbow replacement and shoulder replacement for sports injuries is the primary factor driving future growth in this market.
Also, the current product pipeline for small joint replacement has some very innovative products that promise to increase clinical outcome and reduce the complexity of procedures, which will aid in the market penetration of the small joint products in the future.
Source: Global Data
Big Dip for the UK Market
216 companies in the UK Medical Equipment industry have lost over a third of their value in a year according to new research by analysts Plimsoll.
Out of the top 800 companies analysed and valued in a special Plimsoll Analysis – Medical Equipment, 397 companies are worth less than they were last year.
David Pattison, senior analyst at Plimsoll, explains the impact the last couple of years have had on the value of companies in the UK market, “It’s not surprising that the value of companies have taken a pounding recently but the extent of the squeeze is striking. Only 400 companies managed to increase their value – a record low”.
Aside from an obvious lack of eager cash rich buyers, Pattison suggests there are some more fundamental reasons for the big dip in the value of certain companies, “A number of factors have affected values. As demand slackened and companies were inclined to protect their market share, many saw profitability fall as a result. Declining margins have been the biggest weight on values in the market.
“Despite it all, 400 companies are now worth more than they were last year. Considering the malaise in the market over recent years, that is a quite remarkable achievement”.
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