All articles by Vemula Pravalika
Vemula Pravalika
Europe’s fastest-growing MedTech event, Medical Technology Ireland, returns on 25-26 September 2024 to Galway Racecourse, Ballybrit.
Medical Technology Ireland is Europe’s second largest MedTech Exhibition and Conference, reflecting the dynamic medical device industry in Ireland.
Sony Develops Proprietary Microsurgery Assistance Robot
Prototype first unveiled at ICRA2024 Sony Booth
Cybersecurity in Wearable Technologies
Smart, connected devices are driving the future of healthcare – but they have also given cyber criminals more leverage than ever before to bring hospitals to a standstill. Elly Earls caught up with experts in the industry to find out how cyber threats to the medical device industry have evolved, how manufacturers and regulators are responding and why they can’t let up now.
Updated Medical Device Legislation
In 2017, new regulations were introduced to modernise the European legal framework for medical devices and in vitro diagnostics. But the transition to the new rules has been slow. Elly Earls sits down with Petra Zoellner, Director of Regulatory Affairs (IVDR & MDR) at MedTech, and Richard Houlihan, CEO of EUDAMED consultancy EirMed, to find out how the new legislation could improve device availability and transparency, what challenges manufacturers are facing transitioning to the new framework and why authorities need to hear about them.
Automation in Medical Device Manufacturing
Automated assembly lines are a relative norm in medical device manufacturing – but what does that actually mean? It’s easy to think of automating as a monolithic process rather than the countless technological developments that have made it a reality; and yet even when all of these are applied, it’s not always possible to have the hands-off production process many people imagine when they hear the word automation. Sarah Harris speaks to David E. Williams, president at Health Business Group, and Jennifer Samproni, chief technology officer at Flex, to learn how the world of medical device manufacturing has evolved to integrate more machinery and software and less human hands.
Medical Device Polymers Developments
As one of the largest categories within the advanced material industry, polymers continue to grow within the medical devices market. Thanks to their versatility, they can be used to construct medical scaffolds, drug delivery carriers, implants, and bone cement, the success of which is due to their biocompatibility. Scientists continuously research polymers to uncover their potential for medical devices and biomimetic applications. Allison DeMajistre speaks to Eric Appel, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, and Joseph Kennedy, professor of polymer science and chemistry at The University of Akron, to discover the latest polymer developments for medical devices.
Digitalised Medical Device Supply Chains
With digitalisation fundamentally changing industries the world over, medtech finally seems ready to embrace it. But with supply chains becoming increasingly complex, it’s not enough to digitalise parts and hope the rest will fall into line. Andrew Tunnicliffe speaks with Frederik Dejans, global product and IoT director at Schoeller Allibert, to find out why end-to-end visibility is a must if all components are to work in harmony and what its benefits are.
A new framework
Technology is a great enabler of medical treatments, but regulators’ scrutiny can’t be lax. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) knows this well, which is why it has released a new roadmap detailing steps it will take over the next year to ensure products approved in the UK are safe, while also encouraging manufacturers to bring new devices to market in the country. Abi Millar investigates what this roadmap might look like and the motivation behind the coming changes.
Into a new dimension
Additive manufacturing – or 3D printing – has gone from strength to strength in the medical device industry due to the level of flexibility companies can achieve when designing new products. Researchers are using the technique to enhance everything from medical implants to surgical tools, but the innovation hasn’t stopped there. Abi Millar investigates two ways research teams are using 3D printing to improve medical devices.
Building positive relationships
Report after report predicts massive increases in revenue for the medical device contract manufacturing sector in the near future – with long-term projections just as favourable. And why not? Between securing technical expertise and the right equipment, there are plenty of reasons to partner with a contract manufacturing organisation. But beyond the positive headlines, what are the challenges OEMs face when working with third-party partners? And what could geopolitical tensions ultimately mean for such arrangements? Andrea Valentino investigates, talking to Ash Shehata and Jenny Harte, both of KPMG.