By 2025 the global medical device manufacturing market is expected to exceed $600 billion, driven largely by the aging population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, technological development and demand for more personalized treatments.1 Regulatory bodies are also reacting, both to protect consumer safety and to remove unnecessary roadblocks for device companies.

Despite the optimistic outlook for manufacturers, however, many are not equipped to compete in this quickly evolving marketplace. To keep pace, manufacturing organizations must break from their tried-and-true norms, which may present the biggest challenge of all. But once they do, the emerging developments in both manufacturing and technology will allow them to realize drastic efficiencies in product discovery and development, regulatory compliance and, ultimately, time to market.

This brief will explore three emerging trends that are likely to affect the speed at which medtech and life sciences manufacturers are able to deliver their life-changing products to market.

The world of medical device manufacturing will be a thrilling and challenging space in 2020 as record-breaking revenues, ever-changing regulatory conditions, technology innovations and promising new market opportunities collide. The industry grew at a record 7% clip in 20191 — a nine-year high — and total global revenues are expected to reach $483.4 billion in 2020.

This article will look at some of the trends anticipated to make a substantial impact on the medtech sector in 2020 and offers suggestions about how manufacturers can best position themselves to roll with and benefit from those changes.

Pharmaceutical companies are striving to play a larger role as solution providers in the health care value chain. Already, organizations are devoting more effort toward identifying new markets and ways to accommodate the health care needs of developing economies. At the same time, emerging trends in technology and the regulatory arena will largely influence how pharmaceutical companies design and manufacture products.

The following five trends reveal how the pharmaceutical industry as a whole is taking on a new look and how manufacturers can position themselves to remain competitive in the rapidly-changing pharma landscape.