Medical Device Start-Ups in Germany

Given the relative closeness in size between the US and an aggregated European marketplace--and the clinical and regulatory importance Europe plays in medical device development globally--one would assume that there would be a similar parity in the size of the medical device industries of both geographies. But measured by almost any standard—and particularly against that of the US--the record of the European medical device industry would have to be deemed a failure when it comes to at least one area: the number of medical device start-ups launched.

Indeed, it is one of the curious things about medical devices: despite the important role that French, German, and other European physicians play in developing and trialing new technology and...