Arab Health 2013 Day Two: Demand for American-Made Medical Devices in the Middle EastArab Health 2013 Day Two: Demand for American-Made Medical Devices in the Middle East

Approaching the venue Tuesday, I caught a glimpse of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa Tower, from the convention site of Arab Health 2013, the world’s longest-running healthcare event. Come to think of it, from where wouldn’t the world’s tallest building be visible?

The event really got into full swing Tuesday. Show floor traffic was noticeably higher than the first day, as more attendees arrived in Dubai. In addition to the exposition, they came for education to attend conference sessions on key topics in healthcare. There were 19 sessions, with topics ranging from orthopedics, biomedical engineering, pediatrics, big data, and imaging and diagnostics. Some were sold out, some were invitation only, but all were geared toward the growing healthcare market in the Middle East.

I was able to catch up with several U.S. companies exhibiting at the event. Some of them have been in the Arab market for a few years, while others were at the show for the first time. All of them seemed to project optimism and enthusiasm for the impact of the event and the potential for this market. I continued to hear that American products and services are considered premium offerings and are sought out by the Arab marketplace. However, this came with a qualifier: Medical devices have to be FDA approved to succeed here, and adding CE is a useful compliment. This question of FDA approval was not always the first one asked, but it always came.

Several companies showcased new products or technology at the event. Some were introducing their products globally, and others were bringing them to this region for the first time.  A Pennsylvania company called CurveBeam introduced a new weight-bearing 3-D cone-beam CT scanner product call PedCAT. Nonin presented its Model 7600 Regional Oximeter System, a four-channel regional rSO2 oxygenation sensing system. Chattanooga featured a prototype of it's new Vectra Neo physiotherapy device.

Don Beery is president of Blendon Group Consulting and executive director of the West Michigan Medical Device Consortium. Check back throughout the week for more of his posts from Arab Health 2013. 

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