Orthopedic Soft Tissue Solutions Market Will Hit $2 billion, Report Finds

According to a recent report from Millennium Research Group (MRG), the United States orthopedic soft tissue solutions market will grow considerably through 2016 to nearly $2 billion, driven largely by a growing number of sports-related injuries. Positive clinical results will continue to spur interest in innovative devices, which will provide significant revenue growth.

The report titled “U.S. Markets for Orthopedic Soft Tissue Solutions 2012” finds that clinical trial results have a particularly strong effect on product adoption, as competitors develop specialized devices for specific types of patients and anatomic locations in search of a competitive advantage. The shoulder fixation market, while representing the largest share of revenues, is relatively stable and mature, so competitors, including small manufacturers, have shifted their efforts to more lucrative device segments, including knee cartilage repair and meniscus repair.

Numerous orthopedic soft tissue solution clinical trials have been recently completed or are currently underway and will affect uptake of innovative devices. A key area of innovation and focus for manufacturers is intraoperative functionality for surgeons, the report noted. A good example is hybrid devices for meniscus repair. Such devices have proven to be more effective when performing the all-inside technique for meniscus repair, leading to substantial growth and adoption of hybrid devices, with a corresponding drop in sales for resorbable tacks. In the shoulder-fixation market, suture anchors have been a particular area of innovation. Recent clinical evidence supporting polyetheretherketone and biocomposite anchors have allowed manufacturers to show growth with these products.

“Numerous manufacturers, including market leaders Arthrex and Smith & Nephew, have developed biocomposite suture anchor products for use in the shoulder that will continue to take market share from polymer and metal suture products,” said MRG Analyst Kyle Verleyen. “Another area of innovation can be found in recently introduced all-suture anchors. Their small size and minimal use of material are leading them to be favored by surgeons who perform rotator cuff and glenohumeral instability repairs.”