Study Background
Plastics demand in healthcare for FDA regulated devices, is growing about twice as fast as GDP, and represents an industry of over $4 billion in North America. As the population ages and life expectancy climbs, there is an increasing demand for medical devices and products including single-use, multiple-use and implants.

In addition,procedures that utilize plastic-intensive devices, such as joint replacements, cosmetic surgeries, and advanced prosthetics are more affordable and in greater demand than ever. So the time is right for this Principia report – Plastics in Healthcare 2008, which will provide exceptional depth and detail based on primary research and analysis.

A Growth Segment for Plastics
The above macro trends contribute to considerable growth in all major types of plastics used in many of the 5,500 FDA regulated medical devices. These plastics range from commodity resins to high performance plastics.

Plastics provide medical device engineers and designers with exceptional flexibility in fabrication processes and end-use characteristics. Growing design options, biocompatibility, and the ability to create miniature and complex shapes makes plastics highly appealing for medical applications. Engineers continue to learn how to leverage material attributes like transparency, chemical resistance, autoclavability, and biocompatibility to create products with new performance benefits.

The Challenges
Successful positioning of plastics in the healthcare industry is not straightforward Companies need to patiently invest in technology and early-stage marketing to overcome technical, regulatory, and safety hurdles. In particular, compliance with ISO 10993 and USP testing and approvals can be time consuming and costly.

The Way Forward
Plastics in Healthcare 2008 will provide subscribers with an in-depth understanding of plastics within the healthcare industry, with special focus on high growth and high value applications. It will include estimates of current market size for each application and provide forecasts to 2013. The study will profile leading plastics producers and healthcare OEMs and will be a vital planning tool for any company interested in growing in this important segment.

Using the Study
This report will provide a detailed and comprehensive perspective on the North
American market for plastics in healthcare.

Plastics to be Included
Acrylics
Alloys, blends, and compounds
Biopolymers
Copolyesters
Ethylene vinyl acetate
Polyacetal
Polyamide
Polyaryletherketone
Polybutylene terephthalate
Polycarbonate
Polyetherimide
Polyethylene
Polyimide
Polyphenylene sulfide
Polypropylene
Polysulfone
Polyurethane
Polyvinyl chloride
Silicones
Styrenics
Thermoplastic elastomers