Clarivate Identifies Seven Medtech Trends to Watch in 2022

LONDON, Feb. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today released a new report, Outlook on the Medtech Industry: Seven Areas to Watch. The report analyzes seven factors that Clarivate analysts believe will be key for medtech markets in 2022, including: innovation, healthcare decentralization, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and regulatory evolution, among others. In addition, the report provides an in-depth retrospective on key medtech trends in 2021 and insights on the current state of COVID-19 vaccination worldwide.

The healthcare industry has experienced great upheaval over the course of the past two years. The prioritization of COVID-19 patients — coupled with rigorous safety protocols and resource allocation measures to ensure supply of necessary products — led to substantial delays in elective and non-urgent procedures¹, impacting demand for many medical devices and diagnostics.² Clinical trials, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and non-critical product launches were also largely paused or delayed.³

As public health measures continue and caseloads and hospital pressures ebb and flow, deferred procedures have resumed, and procedure volumes rebounded. However, the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in many countries has led to some renewed pressures on procedure volumes and less-urgent interventions.

Key factors to watch in 2022, include:

• Ongoing recovery – Providers continue to balance recovery of procedures with local transmission and public health measures. Expansion of COVID-19 vaccines to children, coupled with increased availability of effective therapeutics, are poised to drive continued recovery.⁴
• Innovation – Increasingly data-driven, remote-capable, intelligent devices and services are set to be introduced to the market in 2022 and beyond as manufacturers become increasingly familiar with challenges facing various healthcare settings. Unique and novel compensation and distribution models are also likely to be utilized as stakeholders manage ongoing financial challenges.
• Healthcare decentralization – Healthcare will increasingly be provided outside of inpatient settings, spurred by improving reimbursement, innovations that enable efficient procedures (such as robotics and digital platforms), and COVID-19 pressures at inpatient facilities.⁵
• M&As – Substantial M&A activity is likely in 2022, following one of the strongest years on record for such deals in 2021.⁶
• Regulatory evolution – In 2022, regulatory bodies will begin to implement plans to resume halted and delayed activities based on local public health conditions⁷; this will be accompanied by a renewed emphasis on digital and remote tools, as well as increased flexibility for low-risk activities.

Zaid Al-Nassir, Principal Analyst, Medtech Insights, Clarivate: "The medtech industry has been faced with some tremendous challenges over the past two years. As markets and stakeholders continue to adapt and recover, both new and traditional market forces are shaping the landscape for medtech payers at large in 2022 and the foreseeable future. More than ever before—and whether in R&D, M&As, engagement strategies, regulatory developments, or keeping up with the pace and nature of medtech innovation—medtech stakeholders have to be keenly well informed of market and product developments and must increasingly rely on both traditional and nontraditional sources of data and insights to succeed in this highly dynamic space."

Although the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted medtech markets throughout 2020 and 2021, the industry continues to pivot and innovate to respond to ongoing challenges. Access to real world data and real time insights is a key element to successfully adapting throughout this period and beyond.

To access the full report visit here.

Join the conversation - use hashtag #MedtechOutlook2022 and mention Clarivate for Life Sciences & Healthcare on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Methodology for the Outlook on the Medtech Industry: Seven Areas to Watch Report

Specialized consultants and analytics experts leveraged intelligence from Clarivate integrated solutions to better understand the changing landscape. Forecasts and insights provided in this report were developed by Clarivate analysts, using a diverse range of proprietary sources, including: Market Tracking, Clarivate Real World Data™, MedTech360 and Market Assessment Epidemiology™.

About Clarivate 
Clarivate™ is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com. 

Media Contact  
Catherine Daniel
Director, External Communications, Life Sciences & Healthcare 
media.enquiries@clarivate.com

¹ Source: COVID-19: Impact on Elective and Nonessential Procedures. Clarivate.2021. https://clarivate.com/lp/covid19-impact-elective-nonessential-procedures/  
² Source: COVID-19: Impact on Elective and Nonessential Procedures. Clarivate.2021. https://clarivate.com/lp/covid19-impact-elective-nonessential-procedures/  
³ Source: COVID-19 vaccines: How will availability impact healthcare recovery? Clarivate. 2021. https://clarivate.com/lp/impact-of-covid-19-vaccineson-medtech/
⁴ Source: FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Children 5 through 11 Years of Age. Food & Drug Administration. 2021. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-pfizer-biontechcovid-19-vaccine-emergency-use-children-5-through11-years-age
⁵ Source: COVID-19: Impact on ASCs. Clarivate. 2021. https://clarivate.com/lp/covid-19- impact-ascs/
⁶ Source: Top Medtech Trends of 2021. BioWorld. 2021.  https://www.bioworld.com/articles/514381-top-med-tech-trends-of-2021-notable-med-tech-m-and-as-close-value-hits-145b-but-deals-way-down 
⁷ Source: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Outlines Inspection and Assessment Activities During Pandemic, Roadmap for Future State of Operations. Clarivate. 2021. https://www.cortellis.com/intelligence/suite/report/regulatory/329368