The shape of things to come: How digital health offers so much potential for the medtech sector

MPN has been flying the flag for digital health for a few years now and thanks to our sister site DigitalHealthAge.com we report on the latest trends and technology coming out of this exciting sector.

It’s encouraging to learn about the FDA’s digital health pilot scheme. It’s aim to foster innovation by fast-tracking digital health companies through the FDA’s approval process is a positive move for the industry, and businesses looking to expand into the sector. As part of the its digital health innovation plan, FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb aims to provide clear rules for developers so that a product-by-product basis becomes a thing of the past.

It’s interesting to see how quickly the digital health landscape and the devices within the sector, have changed since we changed DigitalHealthAge.com just over two years ago. At the time the wearable explosion dominated. Devices to allow patients to administer drugs in their own home, or monitor their own conditions and feed data back to their physician were viewed as pivotal, allowing us all to take better control of our health while improving the patient experience. With major players like Apple and Nokia joining the party, and medical device manufacturers taking a serious look at connected devices and issues such as cyber-security, it became obvious that this sector was here to stay.

The diversity of technology available is impressive but the thing that excites me is the way the sector adapts and reacts to what each of us might need as individuals. Technology is already addressing a host of conditions – diabetes, hearing issues, skin cancer and eating disorders, for example – and the way that data and information is shared offers potential for combatting future illness. And of course, medical devices are a key factor in making that happen.     

Thanks to the sector’s ability to meet the needs of the individual, the femtech market has really taken off. Specifically aimed at the female market with products addressing fertility and contraception among others, the market offers significant potential for start-ups. Given the fact that many femtech companies have women at the helm, it looks like the digital health sector not only has the ability to shape itself to address individual needs but could also hold the key to getting more women in key business roles. With the FDA’s approach to digital health, this is great news for medtech companies in or looking at this space.