Medical Polymers : Emerging
Trends & Opportunities
Like any other sector, the
Plastic industry or the medical device industry is also
looking for emerging trends. The origin for some of the trends
are from campaign based ideology - the examples for which in
the medical applications are requirements for bisphenol-A free
materials, Polyvinylchloride free devices etc.
History has shown that such
public-driven trends generally follow the cycle of becoming
public and disappearing regularly without major changes.
However, it is said that
most future trends in the medical device sector are generated
within research groups, industry R & D activities and during
the applications.
All very good looking ideas
may be an actual trends. Some of the ideas which have, are
tested after thorough investigation, shown potential for
implementation and are driven by higher integration level of
technologies between technocrats, medical professionals and
patients. A few of such material based trends are highlighted
in this article.
These trends are mainly
driven by general aspects of higher integration level of
technologies, but also between engineers, medical
professionals, and patients.
Thermoplastic Elastomers
Many medical devices need
combination of hard and soft materials such as respiratory
masks, precision syringes, tubings, catheters, bags for
infusion solutions, implants such as artificial heart valves
and joints etc requiring a long time use. The reason such
materials will be preferred is because of their high degree of
purity (low level of extractable compounds), their
recyclability and cost effectiveness. Also for their
application to replace latex which is understood to cause
allergic reactions in some patients. In addition, they are
easy to sterilize and are flexible.
Technological advancement
in the thermoplastic elastomer processing industry has made
these elastomers an ideal choice for medical device
manufacturing, leading to an increase in demand for
thermoplastic medical elastomers in medical devices. As per
“Markets & Markets”, Medical Elastomers Market was valued at
USD 5.11 Billion in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 7.92
Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 7.5%.
Biodegradable Polymers
Within the world of medical
devices, biodegradable polymers usually refer to a plastic
that will be dismantled inside the human body by means of
metabolism within a period between several days and years. Put
simply, an implant manufactured from these materials will
completely disappear without further action.
A well-established medical
application is absorbent surgical suture materials that were
introduced in the early 1960s.Currently there are five major
groups of biodegradable plastic materials commercially
available. However, by combining these by means of
copolymerization or compounding, an enormous variety of
materials may be obtained.
• Polyglycolic Acid (PGA)
• Polylactic Acid (PLA)
• Polycaprolactone (PCL)
• Polyanhydrides
• Polylactic-Co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA)
An implant basing on one of
these biodegradable polymers subsequently will be replaced by
body’s own material, making implant removal after healing
superfluous. Widespread applications are screws, plates, and
fixing pins for osteosynthesis. This comes along with several
advantages. The implant does bear the entire load direct after
implantation. The patient regains mobility immediately and the
body gets time to start bone healing.
According to an estimate,
Biogradable Bone Graft Polymers market size was over USD 350
million in 2016 (including Joint Reconstruction,
Cramiomaxillio facial, Dental, Spine, Orthobiologics & others)
and is expected to grow at a CAGR over 7.5 % till 2024.
Biodegradable Polymers
for Targeted Drug Delivery
Over the past decades,
biodegradable polymers have proven to be a very meaningful
approach for targeted drug delivery. These types of polymers
will disintegrate and eventually vanish when implanted into
the human body, whereas the time and process of disintegration
may be actively influenced by engineering. For instance, many
medical devices are used as implants, serving as drug delivery
system, intended to continuously administering a drug without
any need for repeating intake of medicines. This offers
diverse benefits. Drug may be delivered continuously right at
the desired location within the human body, bypassing the
digestive system and the liver. Further, convenience of the
patient is increased as he is released from remembering when
and how to intake drugs or any additional surgical
intervention to remove the implant. Prominent example is small
subcutaneous rodshaped implants, a few millimeters in diameter
and 5-10 mm in length, applied as a contraceptive.
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