Medical Devices Market Ensures Huge Growth Opportunity for Antimicrobial Coatings Markets

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- There is an overwhelming need to arrest the hospital-acquired infection rates in the United States, which is a serious cause of concern in the healthcare industry. The ability of antimicrobial coatings to address the aforementioned concern expects to offer good growth opportunities.

Frost & Sullivan finds that the U.S. antimicrobial coatings markets earned revenues of $175.4 million in 2005 and estimates this to reach $558.7 million in 2012. The market expects to grow with the increasing need to address microbial growth in end application markets like healthcare facility, HVAC equipment markets and mold remediation markets.

The need to arrest microbe growth in applications such as hospitals, day care centers and indoor environments positively impacts the growth of the antimicrobial coatings market for the United States. The increasing knowledge and familiarity about the advantages of antimicrobial coatings protection is favoring the growth of the market.

"An increasing pressure to resist the hospital-acquired infection rates is expected to play a crucial role in the growth of this market in the medical domain with its usage in wound dressings and catheters," says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Rajesh Varadarajan. "Antimicrobial coatings is increasingly seen to ensure good indoor air quality with its presence in HVAC equipments and in mold remediation market to subside mold formation."

False claims made by certain companies and reluctance to adopt new technologies by some companies expects to impede growth of the antimicrobial coatings market. The market for antimicrobials also suffers from lack of awareness shown by end users in understanding the product benefits associated with antimicrobial coatings that is hampering product usage. The market is witnessing products by companies that have not lived up to the claims earlier promised. This affects the market because OEMs question the efficacy of product performance.

"Medical devices manufacturers fear that the physical property of the device must be altered to accommodate the coating which as a result has resisted the usage of antimicrobial coatings. The end users familiarity with antimicrobial coatings affects the entire market," notes Varadarajan. It is suggested that antimicrobial coatings suppliers undertake initiatives to educate and spread awareness about the product as well the benefit it accompanies. Companies will have to focus on research and development activities to create competitive products, which would boost market growth and eliminate product differentiation. The antimicrobial coating suppliers should offer extended product lines that provide a broad- spectrum application reach in healthcare facilities.

Source: Frost & Sullivan