The relatively open nature of the wound care market has created a golden opportunity for manufacturers to step up and introduce a variety of new products, although rarely is new a signal of true innovation in this space. And that, in turn, has created a broad, diverse, and fragmented industry, as demonstrated by the packed exhibit hall at the April 2010 meeting of the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and the Wound Healing Society.
Wound Care: Finding a Niche
Article preview from Medtech Insight - August, 2010
The wound healing product sector is unlike most other medical device markets. In more than a few instances, science in wound care seems to take a back seat to reckoning and hunches. That's not to say practitioners who treat wounds are anything but dedicated, enthusiastic, determined professionals who want to help their patients, many of whom suffer from painful, chronic conditions. But for several reasons, the sort of hard science embodied by clinical trials and double-blind product studies that define and rule kingdoms like cardiology and orthopedics are not the tickets always required for admittance to the wound care market.
For many wound care products, a simple 510(k) from the FDA will often suffice for US market entry, leaving behind the higher level of clinical evidence required of pharmaceuticals and high-tech devices. Moreover, the clinical trials that do take place are often centered in only a few facilities, further thinning the credibility of new product entries.
The relatively open nature of this market has created a golden opportunity for manufacturers to step up and introduce a variety of "new" products, although rarely is "new" a signal of true innovation in this space. And that, in turn, has created a broad, diverse, and fragmented industry, as demonstrated by the packed exhibit hall at the recent meeting of the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and the Wound Healing Society (WHS), held in April in Orlando, FL.
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