Medical Design & Outsourcing counts the list of the top 100 medical device companies worldwide each year and ranks the company based on its annual revenue for the most recent fiscal year. Some people have counted the top 10 medical device companies with the highest R&D ratio . They represent the development trend and innovation momentum of this industry to some extent. Unsurprisingly, several of the ten companies are also the best performing medical device companies in 2018 .
In the end, which 10 companies strongly support R&D, and what new technologies are they providing?
10. Cochlear – the new power of hearing aid
R&D expenditure: $167,700,000
Percentage of income: 12.4%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 53
In recent years, one of the most important devices produced by Cochlear’s R&D department is the Nucleus 7 sound processor. The Australian-based company claims that Nucleus 7 is the world’s first smartphone cochlear sound processor that is compatible with iOS and Android systems. It is a small, behind-the-ear implantable sound processor for users of the Nucleus 24 series implants.
9. Abiomed – the smartest artificial heart
R&D expenditure: $75,297,000
Percentage of income: 12.7%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 77
Abiomed is a leading provider of medical equipment for cycle support. The product is designed to rest the heart by improving blood flow and/or pumping blood from the heart. Founded in 1981, the company developed the world’s first artificial heart. Abiomed’s Impella Heart Pump is a circulatory support system for percutaneous catheterized devices that provide hemodynamic support to the heart.
According to Abiomed, the heart pump draws blood from the left ventricle through the entrance area near the tip and expels blood from the catheter into the ascending aorta. The device passes through the femoral artery through a standard catheterization procedure and through the valve into the ascending aorta into the left ventricle.
According to Abiomed, Impella RP can deliver blood from the entrance region of the inferior vena cava through the cannula to the exit near the tip of the pulmonary catheter. The pulmonary vein is then inserted through the femoral vein into the right atrium and through the tricuspid valve and pulmonary valve to support the patient’s pulmonary circulation and provide hemodynamic stability.
8. BioMerieux – IVD Innovation
R&D expenditure: $343,972,000
Percentage of income: 13.3%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 36
BioMérieux, headquartered in Marcy-I’Étoile, France, is a biotechnology company providing in vitro diagnostics. It develops reagents and software systems for the diagnosis of infectious diseases for private and hospital laboratories. The system treats blood, urine, feces, cerebrospinal fluid and saliva to help clinicians make more informed treatment decisions. The company recently introduced the Vitek MS MALDI-TOF1 mass spectrometry system. The system is designed to identify mycobacteria, nocardia and mold.
7. Accuray – robotic technology brings precise radiotherapy
R&D expenditure: $57,251,000
Percentage of income: 14.1%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 85
Accuray, located in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a company that develops, manufactures, and markets radiation tumor treatment systems that provide easier, safer, and smarter treatment options for many types of cancer. CyberKnife is one of the company’s key systems, applying robotic intelligence to radiation therapy for tumors, tailoring precise robotic radiotherapy methods for each patient.
CyberKnife can be used for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy for dynamic tracking and motion compensation. According to Accuray, the system provides high-precision radiation therapy for tumors and lesions in any part of the body, including prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas and kidney cancer. The system also provides automated, real-time tumor tracking and motion management to more accurately treat a variety of cancers and reduce the impact of radiotherapy on quality of life.
6. Sectra Imaging IT Department – Medical Information Management
R&D expenditure: US$19,110,052
Percentage of income: 15.3%
Overall Revenue Ranking for 2018: 96 Sectra’s Focused Imaging IT business in Linkoping, Sweden, develops IT systems for managing medical images and patient information. The company said that more than 1,800 health care providers worldwide are using Sectra systems and services. Products include IT systems for managing, archiving, presenting and communicating different types of medical images and patient information, as well as operational tracking and radiation dose monitoring.
5. Insulet – the way to change drug delivery from injection to patch
R&D expenditure: $74,452,000
Percentage of income: 16.1%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 82
Insulet, in Billerica, Mass., is a manufacturer of Omnipod insulin management devices that provide insulin to diabetic patients in a wearable manner.
Tainipod drug delivery systems are tailored to a wide range of injectable drugs and are an automated drug delivery platform that enhances patient compliance and treatment outcomes over the life of the drug. The device exhibits good adhesion and, due to its wearable design, continuous delivery and automatic administration within the therapeutic window. Moreover, by programming a complicated dosing regimen, it is possible to avoid dose inaccuracies or missed dosing.
The core technology of Omnipod is its anti-wear and programmable adhesive pad, allowing users to personalize drug delivery according to different protocols. At the same time, it also has a waterproof function, which can achieve “lifetime attachment”. The Omnipod also has a soft delivery sleeve that provides a comfortable and almost painless experience.
4. Edwards Lifesciences – the field of valve is the leader, research and development is not sloppy
R&D expenditure: $552,600,000
Percentage of income: 16.1%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 26
Edwards Lifesciences recently introduced the star-shaped Sapien 3 transcatheter aortic valve. According to Edwards, the 30-day all-cause mortality and disabling stroke incidence of TAVR valves was reduced by 75% compared with surgery in other intermediate-risk patients. Sapien 3 can be used to treat aortic stenosis in heart disease patients with severe natural calcified aortic stenosis.
3. AtriCure
R&D expenditure: $34,144,000
Percentage of income: 19.5%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 94
AtriCure is a leading provider of innovative technologies for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (Afib) and related diseases, providing state-of-the-art solutions to electrophysiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons worldwide. Its Isolator® SynergyTM ablation system is the first and only medical device approved by the FDA for the treatment of long-term persistent atrial fibrillation. Its AtriClip Left Atrial Accessory (LAA) exclusion system is the most widely used LAA management device in the world. .
AtriCure is also developing pain management technology. Its cryotherapy uses a frozen analgesia probe to deliver precise freezing temperatures to the nerves of the ribs, thereby alleviating pain during heart and thoracic surgery. The probe delivers nitrous oxide at a high rate, allowing the probe to cool and absorb heat from the surrounding tissue. If the probe is placed on the intercostal bundle, it will cause the nerves between the intercostals to freeze and manage the pain.
2. ConforMIS – 3D printing personalized joints
R&D expenditure: $17,136,000
% of revenue: 21.9%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 98
ConforMIS uses 3D printing technology to make knee replacement more personalized. The company’s implants and instruments are designed based on the patient’s CT scan image. The automated design process then accurately matches the three-dimensional model of the knee to correct joint deformities.
1. Dexcom – a new non-invasive continuous blood glucose monitoring system
R&D expenditure: $185,400,000
Percentage of income: 25.8%
Overall income ranking in 2018: 75
The Dexcom R&D department developed the new Dexcom G6 continuous blood glucose monitoring system last year. The system is equipped with a small sensor under the skin that continuously measures the level of glucose under the skin so that blood sugar levels can be detected without piercing the finger. The blood sugar condition can also be transmitted directly to the user’s smartphone, and the accompanying application can display the possible trends and speed of blood glucose changes, which can be shared with five friends.
