Global
Trends in Medical Plastics Technology and Applications
Introduction
Medical science continues to advance in
both disease treatment strategies and the understanding of
medical conditions. Concurrent with these advances in health
care, there is an increased use of medical devices targeted to
treat several conditions. The global market for medical
devices is estimated to be around $400 billion. With an
increasingly aging population, greater governmental
involvement and newer emerging markets, the worldwide medical
devices market is expected to grow at a rate of 6% per annum
for years 2019-2024 (Ref: The Global Market for Medical
Devices, 4th Edition – Kalorama information). More than half
of the market for medical devices comprises the market for
implantable medical devices.
The medical device market in India is
relatively small and in 2018 was estimated to be of the order
of $5.2 billion (Ref: Invest India, GOI website). This figure
is considerably small given the size
and population of India, however, the growth rate over the
coming years is expected to be more than double the global
growth rate. India is the fourth largest market for medical
devices in Asia and the expected growth
rate has the potential be close of 30% per annum. The size of
the market at the moment is partly due to the low per capita
spend by the government on health care; another significant
obstacle cited in the growth of the market is the lack of
indigenous manufacturing.
Plastics constitute an important part of
medical devices and the global market for plastics in medical
devices is said to be close to $18 billion (Ref: Medical
Plastics News, Feb. 2018). This figure includes plastics usage
in everything from devices to diagnostics to packaging. With
growth foreseen in the devices market, the
growth in plastics usage in the devices should at least
match that growth. Within the medical devices sector, about
half of the market for plastics is in the area of implantable
devices.
The role of the nature and properties of
plastics in the correct functioning of a device is critical.
Very often the selection of the plastic can dictate the
efficacy of the device and the treatment of the disease.
Unfortunately, during the design process of medical devices,
the role of plastics is quite often either ignored or not
well understood. There is, therefore, a strong need for
the amalgamation of plastics professionals, polymer scientists
and medical device design experts in order to exploit the full
potential of plastics and facilitate effective treatment of
medical conditions.
Medical Devices and Plastics
Plastics have an inherent advantage over
traditionally used materials, such as glass and metals, in
medical devices. Plastics are lightweight, inexpensive and
often compatible with bodily fluids. Most plastics are also
comparable in density to the body and thus are easier to be
incorporated into the body. They, for the most part, also have
a high degree of resistance to chemicals, both natural and
synthetic, that make them suitable to be used in medical
applications.
Plastics can also be formulated with a
myriad of different chemistries. They can be soft or hard,
elastomeric or rigid, thermoplastic or thermoset etc.
They can also be formulated as biologically
stable or degradable. A stable formulation is one that can
resist the action of body fluids and can be inert, making them
suitable for the construction of long term implants. A
degradable formulation, on the other hand, can be broken down
into easily digestible and harmless elements over time. The
degradation can be programmed to occur either at a specific
time or upon a specific action. This makes biodegradable
plastics attractive options in areas such as drug-device
combinations and regenerative medicine.
The use of plastics in medical applications
spans a wide spectrum of applications. Many plastics form a
part of medical disposables such as wipes, bandages, syringes,
tubes, blood bags, packaging materials etc. As the name
suggests, these are discarded after a single use in a medical
procedure. They do come in short-term contact with medicines
and/or the human body.
The use of plastics has revolutionized the
area of medical diagnostics. Whether it be in simple blood
pressure measurement devices or the much more complex Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, plastic materials offer many
advantages in the construction of this equipment such as
design flexibility, light weight, robustness etc., this has
enabled the doctors to diagnose the patient’s condition
accurately and monitor the progress of any condition. Often
these diagnostic equipment work outside
the body and remain external.
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