According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF), this neurodegenerative disease affects nearly 7–10 million people globally. The foundation also estimates that around 60,000 new cases of this disease are reported in the U.S. each year. The PDF further states that epilepsy is also a common neurological disorder of the brain, affecting people of all age groups. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nearly 50 million people are currently affected by epilepsy and approximately 2.4 million new cases are reported every year, worldwide.
These diseases require neurostimulation and neuromodulation devices in abundance for nerve repair and regeneration that refer to the generation of new neurons, myelin, glial cells, and axon, to replace damaged tissues, cellular products, and nerve cells. Such devices are implanted under the skin and use microelectrodes to stimulate nerves in the nervous system. These medical devices are injected into the brain to treat chronic pain as their electric signals aid in stopping the pain messages from nerves to reach the brain. Such products are usually employed when drug therapies become ineffective.
Among the different types of neurostimulation and neuromodulation devices, medical professionals mostly rely on external neurostimulation devices, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). These devices deliver stimulation through electrodes, which are applied externally. Additionally, the medical facilities also use biomaterials like nerve connectors, nerve conduits, nerve wraps, and nerve protectors, to treat neurological disorders and chronic pain related to these diseases.
With the rising adoption of nerve repair and regeneration products, key players such as Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic Plc, Axogen Inc., Stryker Corporation, Cyberonics Inc., St. Jude Medical Inc., Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corporation, Polyganics B.V., Baxter International Inc., and Orthomed S.A.S. have started developing technologically advanced products. For instance, Medtronic Plc provides implantable neurostimulation and targeted drug delivery systems like sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), gastric electrical stimulation (GES), spinal cord stimulation (SCS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS), to manage gastrointestinal and urological disorders, common movement disorders, chronic pain, and spasticity.
According to P&S Intelligence, North America is the frontrunner in the nerve repair and regeneration market, wherein the U.S. has emerged as the leader. This is attributed to the rising cases of peripheral nerve injuries and availability of technologically advanced products in the region. Whereas, the European market has been led by Germany, followed by France and the U.K. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market is expected to exhibit the fastest growth in the foreseeable future, due to the surging incidence of neurological disorders and escalating geriatric population in the region.
Thus, the increasing prevalence of epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, fecal incontinence, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression will amplify the application of nerve repair and regeneration devices in the foreseeable future.