CRM Market to Climb to More Than $15.7B by 2020

The worldwide cardiac rhythm management (CRM) market is set to expand significantly and flourish in emerging markets, with revenues climbing from $10.9 billion in 2012 to more than $15.7 billion by 2020 at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6 percent, according to a new report from research and consulting firm GlobalData.

The company’s latest report indicates the United States held the largest CRM market share in 2012, with 55 percent, and will continue to do so in 2020 with 45 percent –– despite the potential slowing effect of Obamacare on revenue growth. The five European Union countries –– France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK –– followed in 2012, with a share of 29 percent, which is due to rise to 32 percent by the end of the forecast period. 

The anticipated expansion of the global CRM market will result from increasing incidences of arrhythmia and heart failure in the global population, combined with the growing market penetration of pacing and pulse generator technology in the Asia-Pacific and South American regions, researchers claim.

“The extremely competitive CRM market is dominated by several key players, who must continue to innovate in the face of mounting pricing pressures and strict regulation as they battle to gain market share,” said Rob Littlefield, MSc, GlobalData’s senior analyst covering medical devices. “New technologies currently under development such as leadless pacemakers and energy harvesting generators, promise to heighten product sales and boost new account openings, while industry standards continue to develop in regards to remote home monitoring and rate-adaptive therapy.”

However, the CRM market will experience some barriers to further revenue growth during the forecast period. These include the high costs surrounding new CRM devices, along with a subsequent lack of reimbursement, which is also expected to limit hospital product offerings.

“Additionally, healthcare reforms introduced by the U.S. government in 2010, namely the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, may adversely affect the U.S. medical devices market by increasing pressure on device manufacturers. This could therefore slow CRM growth in what continues to be the world’s largest market shareholder,” Littlefield concluded.