3M has introduced a new adhesive tape that can stick to the skin for up to 28 days for use with medical monitors, sensors and wearables — a significant improvement over the industry’s standard wear time.
The company is marketing the tape to medical device makers and original equipment manufacturers.
Known to consumers as the maker of Scotch tape and Post-it notes, 3M has more than 55 years of medical adhesion experience. The company produces more than 200 medical tapes and films.
“If you think of a Post-it note, you want to be able to remove it without damage to whatever you’ve stuck it to. You think of skin in the same way,” said Chad Reed, director of global business for 3M medical materials and technologies. “You want to stick something to the skin and be able to remove it without damage to the skin.”
The target market is wearable medical devices, for example, glucose monitors.
As device manufacturers work through developing a new device, they will incorporate the 3M adhesive, which can be worn in wet conditions, and will not fall off due to sweat.
“It is usually a patch,” Reed said. “Most patients won’t have any idea that a 3M product is incorporated into that device.”
Before last year, the industry standard wear time for medical adhesives was up to 14 days. In April 2022, 3M debuted an adhesive — 3M Medical Tape 4576 — that could last for up to 21 days. 3M developers in the U.S. and Japan spent about a year devising that longer-lasting adhesive.
The newest adhesive is 3M Medical Tape 4578, which can last for up to 28 days.
“This is a huge innovation,” said Michael Fry, senior principal product engineer with St. Paul-based Minnetronix Medical, a contract manufacturer of medical devices. “Longevity of the adhesive is an important factor. It really helps to lessen the intrusion on the patient’s life.”
Minnetronix currently has six wearable products under development and production. Patients with wearables using the new tape will not need to switch patches as often. As a result, Fry said, it could cut costs for device development because fewer patches will be needed.
It may also improve patient safety, he said. For a patient with an open wound under a wearable, fewer changes means lower risk of contamination.
A recent study from Deloitte found that 49{08cd930984ace14b54ef017cfb82c397b10f0f7d5e03e6413ad93bb8e636217f} of U.S. health care consumers use wearables, digital assistants or smart devices to track health and fitness.
“About one-third of consumers said they use a wearable device to monitor health issues — for example, blood sugar, blood pressure, breathing function, mood,” wrote Glenn Snyder, Deloitte’s global med tech practice leader, in a November blog post.
In July, 3M announced plans to spinoff its $8.6 billion health care business into a separate public company. It expects to complete the separation by the end of this year. The company has not shared new details or an updated timeline since announcing the plan.
According to Fortune Business Insights, The global wearable medical devices market size is expected to showcase considerable growth by reaching USD 195.57 billion by 2027 while exhibiting an astounding CAGR of 26.4{08cd930984ace14b54ef017cfb82c397b10f0f7d5e03e6413ad93bb8e636217f} between 2020 and 2027. Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Diseases to Accelerate Growth
Pune, India, Jan. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The global wearable medical devices market size is expected to showcase considerable growth by reaching USD 195.57 billion by 2027 while exhibiting an astounding CAGR of 26.4{08cd930984ace14b54ef017cfb82c397b10f0f7d5e03e6413ad93bb8e636217f} between 2020 and 2027. This is ascribable to factors such as the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the growing awareness regarding fitness and wellness amongst the people that is driving the adoption of innovative wearable medical devices globally. Fortune Business Insights, in its latest report, titled, “Wearable Medical Devices Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product (Diagnostic & Patient Monitoring Wearable Medical devices, and Therapeutic Wearable Medical Devices); By Application (Remote Patient Monitoring & Home Healthcare, and Sports & Fitness); By Distribution Channel (Retail Pharmacies, Online Distribution and Hypermarkets & Others), 2020-2027.”, observes that the market stood at USD 29.76 billion in 2019 and is likely to gain momentum in the forthcoming years.
A wearable medical device is a noninvasive, autonomous device that performs the function of tracking and monitoring the overall health function of the wearer. The wearable technology consists of healthcare devices that the person can wear on his body such as Fitbits and smartwatches. They efficiently collect the personal health data of the consumer to track his fitness regime.
Key Takeaways :
The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the growing awareness regarding self-monitoring and diagnosis are the key drivers of the market.
OMRON Healthcare, a company that specializes in health monitoring and therapy, has released OMRON Complete, its first single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure (BP) monitor for home usage.
Online Pharmacies Segment to Grow at a Significant Pace, Diagnostic & Patient Monitoring Wearables Segment to Hold Dominant Share, Sport & Fitness Segment to Continue Dominating
DRIVING FACTORS
Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Diseases to Accelerate Growth
The sedentary lifestyle of people is likely to pave the way for the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and others. According to the International Diabetes Federation, around 463 million adults aged between 20 to 79 suffer from diabetes. Additionally, by 2045, this number is expected to rise to about 700 million. The surging demand for innovative wearable medical devices owing to the growing awareness regarding the importance of fitness is expected to bode well for the global wearable medical devices market growth in the forthcoming years.
What does the Report Provide?
The market report provided a qualitative and quantitative analysis of several factors such as the key drivers and restraints that will have an impact on the market. Furthermore, the report includes significant insights into the regional insights that include different regions, which are contributing to the market growth between 2020 and 2027. It includes the competitive landscape involving the leading companies and the adoption of strategies by them to introduce new products, announce partnerships, collaborate, and acquire other companies that will contribute to the market growth. Moreover, the research analyst has adopted several research methodologies such as PESTEL analysis to obtain information about the current trends and industry developments that will drive the market growth in the forthcoming years.
Diagnostic & Patient Monitoring Segment to Hold Dominant Position
The diagnostic & patient monitoring segment, based on product, is expected to showcase substantial growth owing to the high disposable income of the young population that is propelling the sales of innovative wearable medical devices to monitor their overall health and fitness data.
REGIONAL INSIGHTS
North America to Remain at Forefront; Key Players Launching Innovative Wearable Devices to Aid Growth
Among all the regions, North America is expected to gain momentum and hold the highest position in the global wearable medical devices market in the forthcoming years. This is attributable to the presence of established wearable medical devices manufacturers that are introducing innovative devices to cater to the growing number of fitness enthusiasts in the region.
On the other hand, Europe is expected to hold the second position in the market in the forthcoming years. This is ascribable to factors such as the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases among the elderly population that is likely to boost the adoption of innovative wearable medical devices in the region between 2020 and 2027.
Strong Product Offering by Prominent Companies to Strengthen Their Market Positions
The global wearable medical devices market is consolidated by the presence of key players that are focusing on maintaining a stronghold by offering innovative wearable medical devices to the growing demand among fitness enthusiasts across the globe. Moreover, the adoption of organic and inorganic strategies to maintain their presence by other key players will favor the market growth.
Wearable Medical Devices Industry Development:
March 2020 – Widex unveiled WIDEX MOMENT, the world’s first natural hearing aid. The device is manufactured using Widex’s patented ZeroDelay Technology platform that benefits people with hearing disability.
List of the Companies Profiled in the Global Market for Wearable Medical Devices:
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