They’re making glaucoma-treating stents, tumor-treating fields, coin-sized CGMs and more. Discover the medtech companies that spend the most on research as a percentage of revenue.

The list comes from our annual Big 100 report, which examines the world’s 100 largest medical device companies and ranks them by revenue. (Check out our full Big 100 report here.) 

Medtech companies that have spent the most on R&D as a percentage of revenue have had much to boast about:

• Glaukos’s iStent inject is an eye implant designed for cataract surgery to reduce intraocular pressure in adults with mild-to-moderate primary open-angle glaucoma. It was a Prix Galien USA Awards nominee last year.
• Novocure announced in September 2021 that the FDA had granted breakthrough designation for its NovoTTF-200T liver cancer treatment system. NovoTTF-200T system is a tumor treating fields (TTFields) delivery system for use in tandem with atezolizumab and bevacizumab for the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic liver cancer.
• Inspire Medical Systems is the maker of an implantable sleep apnea treatment device; its preliminary 2021 results show it roughly doubling revenue to $233–233.4 million.
• The FDA last year approved AtriCure’s EPi-Sense system for treating long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (Afib). The company’s Hybrid AF therapy is a minimally invasive procedure. CEO CEO Michael Carrel discussed the company’s work during a DeviceTalks Weekly podcast last year.
• With a major product approval and launch expected soon for its coin-sized G7 CGM, Dexcom officials expect 2022 to be a big year for the company.

Here is the top half of the largest R&D spenders list. (You can check out the full list on pages 112-113 of MDO’s November print edition.)