Top Device Stories Of 2010: Waiting For The Other Shoes To Fall

Article preview from In-Vivo- January 1, 2011

For much of the device industry, 2010 felt like a transition year, breeding uncertainty in a number of important areas, including the economy, health care reform, and impending changes to the 510(k) process. A review of the year just ended turns up these stories: Device M&A on the Rebound; Is A First-Mover Advantage Emerging In Medtech? Boston Scientific Is Back In The Game; Early-Stage Deals In Decline; The Future Of Medtech: Where Private Investment Dollars Are Flowing; Transcatheter Valves Take Center Stage; Spine's Downturn; Diabetes Assumptions Begin To Shift; A Landmark Year In Ophthalmology; Health Reform In 2010: A Beginning, Not An End; Changes At FDA: 510(k) Reform Takes Shape, and finally, Is Physician Choice In Product Selection In Danger?

Top Device Stories Of 2010: Waiting For The Other Shoes To Fall

Article preview from In-Vivo- January 1, 2011

Device companies often talk about the challenge of developing technology that is safe and effective enough to convert so-called watchful waiters – prospective patients who have chosen to forego existing therapy while hoping for a new, improved approach to become available. In 2010, many device industry executives themselves became the watchful waiters on several key fronts of the device industry. Most notably, areas such as the gradual improvement in the economy, the passage of health care reform, and the much-discussed prospective changes to the 510(k) process are all examples of trends that will significantly impact the industry; the only question is when?

From that perspective, 2010 could be seen as a year when the glass really was half full. Signs of an improving economy appear to have carried over to a rebound in device M&A activity. Stock market gains have left many large companies flush with cash that they increasingly appear willing to spend on acquisitions, including some major ones.

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