Disposable Ambulatory Infusion Pumps to Enjoy Strong Growth, Report Says

IMS Research, part of Englewood, Colo.-based IHS Inc., has released a report that suggests the United States and China will be the top markets for disposable ambulatory infusion pumps. According to the report, titled, “Infusion Pumps and Accessories—World—2013,” an increased focus on efficiency as well as the healthcare sector’s goal to reduce patient hospital stays is driving the uptake of disposable ambulatory infusion pumps worldwide.

The report states that disposable ambulatory infusion pumps have become the preferred device for effective pain management in hospitals because of their low cost. This is because hospitals are being pressured to bring down costs as a whole, and the low charge associated with the pumps not only renders them attractive but also makes them key to fast-tracking patients through the post-operative-care process.

“The treatment of chronic illness and pain creates an enormous financial burden on healthcare providers, not just in the United States but globally as well,” explained Nicola Goatman, clinical care analyst at IHS. “With pain relief being one of the main reasons for hospital readmission, healthcare initiatives in the United States—such as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Services, as well as the Readmissions Reduction Program of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—are actively driving demand for devices that provide efficient pain management.”

In the United States, the market for disposable ambulatory infusion pumps is forecast to increase by more than $100 million from 2012 to 2017. But while the United States last year was the largest market worldwide in terms of revenue, China was the biggest in shipments. China also will be where the market grows fastest from 2012 to 2017, IHS projects.

The rise in popularity of disposable ambulatory infusion pumps is due to increasing patient compliance and the lower cost of the device—a win-win situation, especially for stretched healthcare budgets and hard economic times.

“While the [infusion] pumps do not provide the advanced technical functionality needed by high acuity wards, they certainly have their place in a number of therapies, including the administration of antibiotics, chemotherapy and pain relief,” observed Goatman. “And the devices are a low-cost option compared to their electronic counterparts.”

In particular, the markets for the devices in India, China and some Eastern European countries are experiencing strong investment as part of efforts in those areas to modernize healthcare services.

“These developing markets do not require the technical sophistication of electronic ambulatory devices,” said Goatman. “Nonetheless, there is a greater focus on movement away from basic gravity sets, which in turn is fueling the purchase of disposable ambulatory devices in regions such as China and India.”

Disposable ambulatory infusion pumps are simple, low-cost pumps, driven by electronic, mechanical or elastomeric mechanism that can be discarded after use. A key advantage of these devices is their ease of use, and they eliminate the errors associated with programming often experienced with electronic devices.

Even so, disposable infusion pumps may not prove adequate for hospitals needing higher-functionality devices, as the pumps have their limitations. For instance, they do not contain dose error -reduction software, and the devices can’t be connected to an electronic medical record to store patient data.

As a cheaper option for many therapies, however, the pumps are a valuable and attractive option, especially in an increasingly price-sensitive market.

U.S.-based manufacturers of ambulatory infusion pumps include Moog Inc. and Baxter Corporation.