Device manufacturers should start cozying up to developers of coatings materials, says a new report by Greystone Associates, a medical technology consulting firm based in Amherst, NH. The report, Medical Coatings: Markets and Opportunities, says that medical coatings can significantly improve the performance and implementation of devices, which ultimately will increase the number of devices that make it to — and succeed in — the market.
Greystone’s findings suggest that coating materials are improving device profiles as they relate to biocompatibility and biostability, and in lowering the incidence of thrombosis and infection. Long-term view, according to the report: Decreasing the likelihood of device complications ultimately will result in faster recovery times and lower medical costs.