MedTech: The way out and the way forward
When COVID-19 hit the U.S., Americans from coast to coast felt a wave of uncertainty about the threat to their own health and that of their families and loved ones, as well as to their livelihoods. As case numbers climbed, it quickly became clear that the country lacked the resources and infrastructure to respond quickly, decisively, and effectively.
The medical technology industry stepped up and answered the call, rapidly developing new diagnostics and ramping up production of the medical technologies and supplies necessary to save lives and putting all of it in the hands of the patients and health care professionals who needed it most.
In the early days of 2020, there was no way to implement widespread testing and diagnosis of a novel, unknown virus. The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) worked directly with our government partners to help ensure the policy path was cleared for our diagnostic companies to do what they do best. These companies mobilized immediately and within a matter of months were producing tens of millions of tests each week and have since produced and sent across the country well above a billion COVID-19 diagnostic tests of all types.
Approximately 6,500 medtech companies across the nation responded in a way that we haven’t seen since World War II, even as it became clear our country lacked the infrastructure to identify, target, and track areas of greatest need. AdvaMed stepped in to build and run a national registry to track tests produced and where they were being sent, in order to help our government partners determine where resources were most needed. This registry was launched in partnership with 13 of the world’s largest commercial diagnostics manufacturers – representing 95% of the U.S. testing market – and to this day collects information on daily tests performed to create a centralized and standardized COVID-19 diagnostic supply database.
Diagnostics have been a critical tool for fighting the pandemic, but certainly not the only one. There, too, medtech has mobilized to the cause. Our companies went from producing 700 ventilators a week prior the pandemic to more 10,000 a week within a matter of weeks to meet patient demand last summer. And when hospitals and health care workers faced unprecedented shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), our companies worked around the clock to surge production and shift their supply chains, running 24hour shifts, hiring new workers, and shifting current workers to support new and expanded production lines.
It now seems clear that COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future. That means we must determine how best to achieve a “new normal” that keeps people safe while allowing our economy to thrive once again. The rapid antigen, PCR, and serology tests our companies make are key to this effort. This testing capability, combined with the nearly 2 billion vaccine syringes medtech has distributed to 18 countries, will help our country to prepare for what comes next.
No matter how long the virus is with us, medtech will have an important role to play in the future of health care. Cancer screenings were down 50% in 2020, and our own research found that 40% of Americans said they have delayed necessary screenings, treatments, and procedures because of the pandemic. More than half of Americans said they suffer from chronic conditions, and one in five of them was forced to forego needed care because of COVID-19. As the pandemic recedes, patients will rely on medtech more, not less – and we will be there again to answer the call.
The story of medtech throughout this pandemic is the story of an industry ready to answer the call to serve. The virus is very much still affecting our lives, but it is sobering to imagine where we would be without the advances and breakthroughs delivered by medtech as the crisis unfolded. AdvaMed is proud to represent an industry that is not just the way out of the pandemic, but the way forward to a healthier world.
About the author:
Scott Whitaker is president and CEO of AdvaMed, the world’s largest medical technology association, whose members make the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments, to help people live longer, healthier lives.