Innovative product development & outsourcing

by Christopher Delporte, Group Editor, Medical Product Outsourcing
The word “innovative” is ubiquitous when describing the latest medical devices. While it’s easy to overuse this term, the combination product market truly fits the definition of innovative. While in some form combination products have been around for quite some time, the market is still in its infancy. The convergence of devices with drugs or biologic agents is poised for quick growth as the number of FDA reviews for these products increased by 10%, from 249 to 275 between 2004 and 2005. We can now start to get excited about the reduced toxicity, fewer side effects, higher efficacy and better patient compliance to be gained through drug-device combos. In coming years, everything from pain management to oncology, migraines and neurologic disorders is expected to benefit from convergent technology. Inhalable medicine, nanotechnology, and transdermal patches are just a few of the technologies at the forefront of the combination technology market.