5 top stories that mattered for medtech in 2018 | Medical Design and Outsourcing

[Image by MDO managing editor Chris Newmarker]

The medical device industry faced some major challenges over the past year, from increased media scrutiny to regulatory uncertainty in both the U.S. and E.U.

It’s worth noting, though, that many things have been going right for medtech.

More than half of the roughly 100 largest medical device companies in the world saw their stock prices increase during 2018 – not a bad record considering the slumping Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500.

Medical device companies spending a large amount on R&D compared to revenue – including Dexcom, Abiomed, Atricure, Edwards Lifesciences and Insulet – saw their stock prices skyrocket as they marketed innovative devices in fields including diabetes management and cardiology.

Artificial intelligence is playing a larger role in medtech innovation, medical device companies are increasingly forging partnerships with high tech companies, and there’s even a chance that the device industry might help combat the opioid epidemic.

Here are five trends that mattered for medtech in 2018 – and are bound to influence the future of the industry this year.