Apr 18, 2011
In its latest annual report, German medical device industry trade group BVMed (Bundesverband Medezintechnologie) stakes out the group’s positions on German health policy, financing issues and medical device legislation, and also provides results of BVMed’s annual membership survey.
According to the survey, the German medical technology sector saw 5.5% sales growth in 2010, and 80% of respondents expect higher sales rates this year; profits will be challenged, on the other hand, by more expensive raw material costs and higher rates of outstanding debt.
In light of European economic challenges as well as increasing prices for raw materials, BVMed members expressed tempered optimism regarding 2011 results—48% of firms expect better returns this year, while only 17% anticipate lower returns.
Although respondents generally rated Germany highly as a medical device market, they also identified political and financial issues they believed should be improved in order to boost efficiencies in their view. To wit, 60% of firms cited reduced bureaucracy and faster decision-making processes as their top concern, and less than a quarter of respondents expressed satisfaction with the current German reimbursement system.
BVMed also used its annual report lays out positions the organization argues are necessary to better support innovative medical technologies in Germany. Among the group’s suggestions:
Give the size of the German medical device market—as well as the degree of influence Germany wields within the EU—how successfully BVMed pursues its goals will no doubt shape relationships between regulators and industry across Europe.
The European Commission has officially adopted a new Directive that is of critical importance to most medical device companies selling and/or conducting clinical trials in Europe.
Another version (1.1, May 2008) of the Manual on Borderline and Classification in the EU Community has been published.
A new report examining European in vitro diagnostic (IVD) market performance in 2010 sees flat or negative growth across most major EU member states due to cost containment measures and worsening economic conditions.
According to the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association’s (EDMA) study, the European IVD market totaled €10.5 billion last year, with revenue growth of only two percent from 2009. Cardiology testing and diabetes-related IVD sectors as well as products for managing hospital-acquired infections showed the strongest growth rates in 2010, but all other testing areas showed flat or negative growth.