Trelleborg ‘joining the dots’ in wearable medical devices market

Trelleborg, Sweden - The global market for wearable medical devices is on track to reach $57 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 19.5% over this decade.

That’s according to figures from Market Watch cited in a Trelleborg article highlighting the role of partnerships, R&D, expertise and technologies in this rapidly expanding area.

All that’s required to turn existing research into the next miracle device is someone with the ability to connect the dots,” says Ursula Nollenberger, global product line director, healthcare and medical solutions.

Wearable medical devices, noted Trelleborg, are ushering in a future where patient diagnosis is more accurate, while monitoring and treatment are made more effective and efficient.

Now, it added, a new generation of smart wearables is emerging, including implantable devices, which not only treat a condition but gather huge amounts of health data as well.

These devices provide a reliable means of drug therapy without requiring administration by trained personnel and at the same time use sensors to allow doctors to monitor vital parameters.

Wearable devices “enable a more patient-centric approach to diagnostics and therapies versus the way it was done before,” commented Nollenberger.

Moreover, these devices can collect data in real-time, allowing earlier diagnoses and more preventative measures that lower overall healthcare costs, she added.

Manufacturers are challenged to produce these often complex devices and components that are implantable and can fit into a 5 mm³ space with a weight of less than 0.02 grams.

Drug delivery is also moving through a period of rapid development, Trelleborg noting that many drugs are being incorporated into small, silicone-based delivery devices that release drugs directly.

“Demand is soaring for biocompatible, implantable and bioresorbable material solutions that have functionalities such as conductivity, tracing, adhesion, API absorption or lubricity,” the company stated.

“The key to success is design,” says Nollenberger. “The best devices connect a brilliant idea with what’s possible.”

As well as being fit-for-purpose, designers and manufacturers have to ensure adaptability to serial production, scalability to high-volume manufacturing, affordability, and robustness.

Regulatory hurdles are significant, continued Trelleborg, citing how cyber security, for example, has become a point of contention.

The relative newness of the sector, it said, means the regulatory environment is shifting continually, with new demands governing everything from the biological risks to control of standards for chemical substances.

Underlining the degree of criticality, Nollenberger said: “If you’re wearing something that monitors your blood glucose levels, it has to function. People’s lives are at stake.”

Key to success, so, is for device designers to partner with experienced healthcare and medical component manufacturers early in the process on all aspects of the engineering and production process.

These areas, said Trelleborg, include prototyping, product and process development, material selection, processing, toolmaking, quality, regulatory and validation planning, scale-up, and automation.

The pace of change relies on the speed at which inventors can turn academic ideas into functional, scalable devices, according to Nollenberger.

“The research at an academic level is already there in many instances. It’s now a question of people taking that and applying it,” she concluded.