Cardiac Rhythm-Management Market Expands in Europe

The rising incidence of heart failure, coupled with an expanded potential for
implant use, is set to boost the European market for cardiac rhythm-management devices, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan (Palo Alto, CA, USA), an international consulting firm.

Heart failure, considered a serious morbidity/mortality issue in Europe, presents a significant opportunity for cardiac rhythm-management (CRM) device manufacturers. Hospital admissions for heart failure cases have more than doubled over the past two decades. Moreover, from current estimates of 14 million, annual heart failure cases are projected to double by 2020. Such trends are set to augment uptake of CRM devices, and growth potential is being reinforced by the increasing number of disease indications considered eligible for implants. As device technologies evolve, manufacturers will need to focus on product innovation and differentiation to leverage emerging market prospects.

Encouraged by clinical trials demonstrating the effectiveness of implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) and devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRTs) in preventing heart failure, several European healthcare institutions have moved to offer reimbursement for their use. While the large body of clinical evidence supporting device implants is expected to cause ICD revenues to grow at an accelerated pace, models showing CRT to be more cost-effective than traditional pharmaceutical treatment for heart failure will boost their adoption rates.

"The expansion in the number of disease indications considered eligible for implants and referred for the same will enhance adoption of CRM devices, particularly ICDs and CRTs, said Frost & Sullivan analyst Kavitha Ravikumar. "The issuance of new guidelines by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has designated ICD and CRT devices as class I devices for patients, and they have been recognized as a standard of care for many patients with heart failure.”

However, with most implants in Europe occurring in the public sector hospitals with salaried physicians, the motivation to make a large number of referrals remains limited. Furthermore, as the number of recommended indications for implants increases, physicians--including primary care physicians and general practitioners--will have to be trained to recognize and refer these cases themselves in the early stages.



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