New York-Driven by innovative devices such as capsule endoscopes, the
entire gastrointestinal
device market grew to $14.6 billion in 2011, according to healthcare
market research publisher Kalorama Information. Capsule endoscopy
has been one of the fastest areas of revenue growth for manufacturers, charting
12.9% growth annually since 2007. The finding comes from Kaloramas recent
study, The
World Market for Gastrointestinal Devices.
The technology behind capsule endoscopy
systems is essentially a pill-form endoscope-a miniaturized video camera which
is ingested and delivers video images of the inside of the gastrointestinal
tract. Although there are limitations to this type of system-including a lack
of manual control by physicians, limitations for use such as with patients with
narrow gastrointestinal tracts or suspected obstructions-its benefits are
considerable as a non-invasive approach to diagnosing conditions in the small
bowel and detecting small pathologies. It is also cost-effective,
administered on an outpatient basis and can provide wireless imaging transfer.
“Capsule endoscopy systems have been marketed for a decade,
but now we are seeing the impact of second-generation products and new
competitors,” said Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information.
The major companies supplying this niche area include Given
Imaging and Olympus Corporation. The main source of revenue for Given
Imaging is the PillCam Capsule. The system consists of a miniature video camera
inside an ingestible, disposable capsule. The communication outside the body is
accomplished by wireless technology and the companys software. Given Imaging
originally launched the small bowel (SB) capsule endoscopy platform system in
2001. Currently the company is continuing to roll-out its second
generation PillCams. In September 2007, Olympus
announced the launch of the Endo Capsule for visualizing small bowel mucosa. It
is part of the EnteroPro brand of products designed to be a total solution for
physicians. The product offers automatic lighting using six LEDs, two images
per second transmission, and recording a time of approximately eight hours.
The advancing technology of capsule endoscopy systems, the
increasing number of procedures using the technology, and growing education
about the systems will contribute to high growth during the forecast period
discussed in Kaloramas report. More information and detailed company
profiles can be obtained in the report, The
World Market for Gastrointestinal Devices.
About Kalorama Information
Kalorama Information, a division of MarketResearch.com, supplies the latest in
independent medical market research in
diagnostics, biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and healthcare; as well
as a full range of custom research services. We routinely assist the media with
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