Dow Corning highlights market position at MD&M West

Global provider of silicones and silicon-based technology, Dow Corning, is exhibiting at MD&M West in Anaheim this year.

The company is displaying its expanding portfolio of healthcare portfolio of industry leading silicones.

Dow Corning has recently spoken about its position in the medical devices market, which according to Grand View Research is expected to reach $27.8 billion by 2022. The company states that a key driver of this growth is related to the role of specialised adhesive technologies.

Skin-adhered medical devices, as seen in the wearables market, rely on the right adhesive for each device type, which can have significant impacts on patient compliance and ultimately treatment efficacy. Advancements in silicone-based adhesive technologies are intended to offer expanded flexibility to support new device designs while meeting patient needs for comfort and ease of use.

Marie Crane, healthcare marketing leader, Dow Corning said: “Wearable medical devices represent one of the fastest growing sectors in the healthcare industry, which is being fuelled by several trends. While wearable monitoring and treatment devices can deliver important benefits to patients, caregivers and the health system as a whole, their effectiveness depends on compliant usage – and compliance is closely linked to comfort. This is where Dow Corning’s tailored silicone solutions for skin-adhered devices, including Dow Corning® MG 7-1010 Soft Skin Adhesive, our highest adhesion level of soft-skin adhesive to date, make a big difference.”

Dow Corning that there are four major trends driving the growth of wearable medical devices, including skin-adhered diagnostics and therapeutic devices.

These include, population ageing, chronic conditions, self-management and cost control.

By 2060 the number of people ages 65 or older is predicted to be about 98 million. Ageing populations can put particular strain on healthcare services due to seniors typically having more medical issues that younger populations. Wearable medical devices can allow more elderly people to benefit from convenient, remote monitoring and treatment at home.

Wearable devices also have a role in helping people manage chronic conditions. Wearable devices can enable patients to track their health and make healthier choices. More importantly they can also provide ongoing monitoring for conditions such as diabetes, obesity and arthritis.

Patients now have more options when managing their own health and fitness. These options are expanded due to skin-adhered devices which can provide a range of self-management functions, from back therapy guidance and ambulation monitoring, to smoking cessation and sweat analysis for evaluating exercise results.

Medical costs may also be alleviated by replace some in-patient or out-patient clinical care with remote monitoring and treatment. Skin-adhered devices can wirelessly relay critical data to clinicians and automatically deliver medication, for example, via a programmed on-body injector.

However, whilst skin-adhered diagnostics and therapeutic devices provide answers to the challenges of these megatrends, their efficacy and commercial success depend on patient compliance. Avoiding irritation during wear and discomfort during removal of skin-adhered devices, particularly when patients have delicate or sensitive skin, is an important compliance factor.

Many device designers are turning to silicone pressure-sensitive and soft-skin adhesives. Dow Corning’s range of advanced silicone adhesives can make it easy to find a match for each application.

In addition to developing new pressure-sensitive adhesives and gentle soft-skin adhesives, Dow Corning is investing in state-of-the-art capabilities for medical device customers. Its newly expanded application centre in Midland, Mich offers expertise and support in medical device material processing and testing.