Three Recent Advancements for Absorbable Medical Devices

The absorbable medical device market is growing fast and strong, as more people are looking at these materials inorder to grow their product lines. There are two categories of these devices: biodegradable, where the body willdigest and pass the materials that compose the device, or bioresorbable, where the body will dissolve them into the bloodstream.

Although these materials have been around for decades, there has been a recent increase in interest, particularly as the materials being developed are lasting longer and the quality has gotten better. Here are three recent developments that have the potential to change the absorbable device market:

 -Bioresorbable scaffolds: Several companies are racing to be the first to release the bioresorbable scaffold in the U.S., with Abbott leading the way with its current clinical testing for its Absorb and Elixir Medical’s DESolve not far behind. It’s been the subject of scientific papers and various discussions in the past, but Abbott’s testing may allow this dream to become reality, and power more internal absorbable devices.

-Edible Electronics: Made out of materials that would normally be digested by the human body, assistant professor Christopher Bettinger and professor Jay Whitaker at Carnegie Mellon have developed a small battery made of digestible materials. The batteries are activated by water, but unlike the swallowable cameras of the past, is completely absorbed into the system in an 18–24 hour period. The small batteries could power everything from sensors outside the body to diagnostic tools.

-Bone growth: Materials implanted in the body can help promote cell proliferation while also remaining absorbable. Orthogen has produced a bone graft out of calcium sulfate. Meanwhile there have been other studies of fluoride-treated synthetic hydroxyapatite. Both are intended to stimulate bone growth, although for now they are only applicable for dentistry. However, watch for these two technologies to possibly expand into other fields, such as orthopedics.

Reina V. Slutske is the assistant editor for MD+DI.