Manufacturers are finding it harder to innovate in the vascular interventional device arena as market and regulatory pressures take their toll. New coronary drug-eluting stents face a difficult challenge with the high bar now set by existing devices, and there have been several recent disappointments in the areas of renal denervation, drug-coated balloons, and renal artery stenting; still there are areas of opportunity that continue to look promising, with bioresorbable stents offering perhaps the best prospect among vascular therapies for future blockbuster status.

Manufacturers are finding it harder to innovate in the vascular interventional device arena as market and regulatory pressures take their toll. New coronary drug-eluting stents face a difficult challenge with the high bar now set by existing devices, and there have been several recent disappointments in the areas of renal denervation, drug-coated balloons, and renal artery stenting; still there are areas of opportunity that continue to look promising, with bioresorbable stents offering perhaps the best prospect among vascular therapies for future blockbuster status.

China’s MicroPort Scientific paid $290 million in cash for Wright Medical’s hip and knee business, which has a pipeline of products – including FDA approved implants – ready for sale in China’s growing orthopedics market. The acquisition pits MicroPort against multinationals that previously held an edge selling implants to Chinese patients and doctors who seem to favor devices that carry approval from the US FDA.