U.S. Polymers in Medical Tubing and Catheters

Publication Date	December 2008
Publisher	Frost & Sullivan
Product Type	Report
Pages	76
ISBN Number	not applicable
Product Code	FRS01005

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Summary

Proliferation of Medical Procedures Drives Growth in U.S. Polymers Market

As polymers are widely used in the medical industry mainly for devices and packaging, growth in the segment is closely tied with that of the healthcare sector. The impact of the global economic meltdown will scarcely be felt in the healthcare arena because the requirement for advanced medical procedures, especially angioplasty and pacemakers is unceasing. The medical tubing segment comprises the most dynamic area in the medical device landscape. Increase in the average age of population and preference for less invasive medical procedures have provided the necessary shot of adrenalin for the market for polymers in medical tubing and catheters in the United States.

Another factor that is providing the market forward momentum is the inherent cost-cutting advantage of medical tubing. Modern medical procedures involve hospital stays of considerably long duration, incurring heavy expenditure. "Medical tubing plays a major role in promoting cost efficiency because cardiac and urinary catheterization that involves the use of catheter tubing, greatly reduces the time taken for the concerned medical or surgical procedure," notes the analyst of this research service. "As a result, the hospital stay is shortened, which, in turn, lowers the overall charges a patient is likely to pay for treatment."

Issues with Biocompatibility and Pricing of Polymers Pose Impediments for Participants

Most challenges in this market spring from technical and biocompatibility issues. Continued innovation is the key to circumvent these bottlenecks. Properties such as flexibility, lubricity, tolerances, clarity, and kink resistance are critical criteria while selecting the ideal polymer for a particular medical application. Scrutinizing application areas for each polymer in the medical tubing field would enable the development of specific focus areas for each polymer, opening doors for the development of newer polymer materials. Polymer manufacturers have an uphill task trying to invent new technologies to manufacture cost-effective resins. For instance, PVC may not match the kind of performance fluropolymers can deliver. However, PVC is still the dominant material used for applications in the medical tubing scenario, as it is ideally suited for medical tubing applications price-wise. To effectively confront rising labor and production costs, extrusion houses can outsource the manufacturing of their products to cheaper destinations in the Asia Pacific region. Smaller companies must consider merging with bigger market participants to sustain their place in the market. On the flipside, bigger participants that are normally concerned with bulk tubing applications can acquire smaller extrusion houses that specialize in niche applications, thus expanding business scope. The strategy would ensure additional marketing mileage owing to the acquisition of new technology and a fresh customer base.

"A surefire method to address biocompatibility issues is for extrusion houses to work in collaboration with resin manufacturers," explains the analyst. "Due to the sharing of technology, it would be a more effective procedure to come out with the ideal product." For example, the Ecdel elastomer was developed by the Eastman Chemical Company in collaboration with Natvar. This elastomer was further used to develop the Sure Bond tubing, which finds applications in the delivery of unstable medications.

Market Sectors

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

PVC
Polyolefins
TPE
Silicones
Polyamides
High-performance polymers

Content

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Market Overview
  - 1. Market Overview
- Summary of Major Findings
  - 1. Summary of Major Findings
2 INDUSTRY CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Industry Challenges
  - 1. Industry Challenges
- Strategic Recommendations
  - 1. Strategic Recommendations
3 TOTAL U.S. POLYMERS IN MEDICAL TUBING MARKET
- Market Overview
  - 1. Introduction
  - 2. Research Scope
  - 3. Value Chain
- Market Trends
  - 1. Market Drivers
  - 2. Market Restraints
  - 3. Pricing Trend
  - 4. Unit Shipment Analysis
- Competitive Analysis
  - 1. Competitive Structure
  - 2. Market Participants Profile - Extrusion Houses
  - 3. Resin Suppliers for Medical Tubing
4 POLY VINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)
- Market Overview
  - 1. Introduction
  - 2. Measurement Analysis
- Forecast and Trends
  - 1. Market Drivers
  - 2. Market Restraints
  - 3. Unit Shipment Forecast
  - 4. Application Analysis
5 POLYOLEFINS
- Market Overview
  - 1. Introduction
  - 2. Measurement Analysis
- Forecast and Trends
  - 1. Market Drivers
  - 2. Market Restraints
  - 3. Unit Shipment Forecast
  - 4. Application Analysis
6 THERMO-PLASTIC ELASTOMERS (TPE)
- Market Overview
  - 1. Introduction
  - 2. Measurement Analysis
- Forecast and Trends
  - 1. Market Drivers
  - 2. Market Restraints
  - 3. Unit Shipment Forecast
  - 4. Application Analysis
7 SILICONES
- Market Overview
  - 1. Introduction
  - 2. Measurement Analysis
- Forecast and Trends
  - 1. Market Drivers
  - 2. Market Restraints
  - 3. Unit Shipment Forecast
  - 4. Application Analysis
8 POLYAMIDE
- Market Overview
  - 1. Introduction
  - 2. Measurement Analysis
- Forecast and Trends
  - 1. Market Drivers
  - 2. Market Restraints
  - 3. Unit Shipment Forecast
  - 4. Application Analysis
9 HIGH PERFORMANCE POLYMERS
- Market Overview
  - 1. Introduction
  - 2. Measurement Analysis
- Forecast and Trends
  - 1. Market Drivers
  - 2. Market Restraints
  - 3. Unit Shipment Forecast
  - 4. Application Analysis
10 CONCLUSION
- Conclusion
  - 1. Conclusion
List of Figures
Chapter 3
- Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Restraints Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Unit Shipment Analysis by Volume of Resin Consumed (U.S.), 2007
- Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Unit Shipment Analysis by End-user Consumption (U.S.), 2007
- Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Competitive Structure (U.S.), 2007
- Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Resin Manufacturers (U.S.), 2007
Chapter 4
- PVC in Medical Tubing Market: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- PVC in Medical Tubing Market: Market Restraints Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- PVC in Medical Tubing Market: Volume Forecasts (U.S.), 2004-2014
- PVC in Medical Tubing Market: Percent of Volume by Product Type (U.S.), 2007
Chapter 5
- Polyolefin Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Polyolefin Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Restraints Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Polyolefin Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Volume Forecasts (U.S.), 2004-2014
- Polyolefin Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Percent of Volume by Product Type (U.S.), 2007
Chapter 6
- TPE Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- TPE Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Restraint Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- TPE Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Volume Forecasts (U.S.), 2004-2014
- TPE Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Percent of Volume by Product Type (U.S.), 2007
Chapter 7
- Silicones Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Silicone Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Restraint (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Silicone Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Volume Forecasts (U.S.), 2004-2014
- Silicone Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Percent of Volume by Product Type (U.S.), 2007
Chapter 8
- Polyamide Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Polyamide Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Restraint (U.S.), 2008-2014
- Polyamide Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Volume Forecasts (U.S.), 2004-2014
- Polyamide Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Percent of Volume by Product Type (U.S.), 2007
Chapter 9
- High-performance Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- High-performance Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Market Restraints Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2008-2014
- High-performance Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Volume Forecasts (U.S.), 2004-2014
- High-performance Polymers in Medical Tubing Market: Percent of Volume by Product Type (U.S.), 2007