MEDICAL DEVICES
Medical technologies are products, services and solutions that are used to save or improve human lives. They have various forms and accompany a person at different stages of life, from diagnosis to treatment. The definition, which specifies what a medical device is, is part of the Medical Devices Act No. 268/2014 Coll.
The Medical Devices and Technologies brochure in a nutshell can be downloaded HERE .
CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICAL DEVICES
The field of medical devices (ZP) is regulated by Directives No. 93/42/EC and 90/385/EEC. From 2021, the new Regulation No. 2017/745/EU will be fully applicable. Until then, manufacturers can choose whether to follow the Directives or the Regulation.
Classification of medical devices (estimated to be more than 500,000) requires both pre- and post-marketing to the market to meet many requirements. Considering the variety of products, the level of control is a third party (by a notified body) before placing it on the market, depending on the impact that the use of the product can have on the human body.
The same notified person continues to be involved even after the product has been placed on the market, in order to ensure safety and functionality of medical devices.
INDUSTRY AS SIGNIFICANT INNOVATOR
There are more than 34,000 health technology companies in Europe. Most of them are based in Germany, followed by Italy, Great Britain, France and Switzerland. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up approximately 95% of the health technology industry, with the majority employing fewer than 50 people (small and micro enterprises).
Thanks to intensive research, collaboration with doctors and patients, and continuous development, product innovations come every 18-24 months. The life cycle of the product is short, and thanks to this, patients and doctors have access to the most modern technologies.
THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
On one side we see in medicine, progress that would have been difficult to imagine 20 years ago. On the other hand, it is known that 17 years will pass from basic research to the routine use of innovation in patient care.
It's a paradox. In this section, however, we want to look into not too much distant future. We want to present innovations that already have a practical form and we try to estimate how and where they will take care to a higher and higher level.
Here are some resources to show where medical science and practice are going. CzechMed strives to encourage innovations to be justified in justified cases available to doctors and patients alike, as a matter of course.
The Medical Futurist Institute (https://tmfinstitute.org)
The MED-TECH Innovation News (https://www.med-technews.com)
INDUSTRY AS A SIGNIFICANT EMPLOYER
The European health technology industry employs more than 800,000 workers. Germany belongs to the countries that employ the absolute largest number of workers in this sector. If we are interested in the countries with the largest number of people working in the health technology sector per 10,000 inhabitants, then these are Ireland and Switzerland. The healthcare technology sector is one of the major players in the European economy.
(For comparison, the European pharmaceutical industry employs more than 840,000 workers.)
Jobs created in the health technology sector represent approximately 0.3% of total employment in Europe. These jobs are also highly productive, with value added per employee estimated at around 0.5%.
EUR 184,000 per employee. These indicators show that the health technology industry has a significant economic and social impact in Europe.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY EXPENDITURE
Approximately 10 percent of GDP is spent on health care in Europe. Of total health expenditure, health technology expenditure accounts for approximately 7.2 percent, ie less than 1 percent of GDP. Expenditure on medical technology per capita per year is € 213.
The European health technology industry is estimated at 115 billion EUR for 2017. Based on producer prices, the European market accounts for 27 percent of the total global medical technology market. It is the second largest medical technology market, after the US (+/- 43 percent).
TRADE IN EUROPE
The European medical device industry has a positive trade balance of €6 billion (2021). The European market for medical devices has grown by an average of 4.8% per year over the past 10 years. In 2009, demand fell due to the economic crisis, resulting in growth of just 1% (lowest in 13 years). In 2010, the market picked up momentum again and since then the annual growth rate varies between 2.4% (2017) and 9.3% (2015) and in 2021 it is 2.9%. Compared to previous years, the European market for medical devices remains stable. The most important trading partners are the USA, China, Japan and Mexico.
