The growth rates are astounding: in the past ten years the global market volume for medical technology is estimated to have risen nominally by almost 10 % a year, well above average. Despite a host of government regulations around the globe, innovation momentum is higher than in practically any other sector. Looking ahead, the backdrop is also propitious, with the world population rising steadily, prosperity increasing in both emerging and developing countries, and the ongoing ageing process among the population in the industrial countries.
