Medical innovation market analysis in Poland
The medical innovation market analysis showed that the pharmaceutical industry is still among the leaders in implementing innovation in Poland. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that digital solutions and medical innovations came into widespread use faster than expected. Without a doubt, the digitalisation of services in the medical sector is slowly becoming part of everyday life.
Telemedicine and remote healthcare are the most important directions of development in the medical innovation market. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are among the fastest-growing fields.
According to the 2019 Global Innovation Index (GII) report, Poland ranks 39th in the world for innovation in medicine. Among European countries, it ranks 26th.
According to a Statistics Poland (GUS) survey, in 2017-2019 the pharmaceutical industry ranked 3rd in implementing innovation among Polish industrial and service enterprises. Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products accounted for 54.1% of innovative enterprises. Of these, 40.7% introduced new or improved products, 38.5% applied new or improved business processes, and 33.3% introduced new or improved products and business processes.
| Indicator | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Share of pharmaceutical manufacturers among innovative enterprises | 54.1 |
| Enterprises that introduced new or improved products | 40.7 |
| Enterprises that applied new or improved business processes | 38.5 |
| Enterprises that introduced new or improved products and business processes | 33.3 |
In June 2021 the new Warsaw Health Innovation Hub project was launched. The initiative is intended to support the development of biotechnology and innovative solutions in Poland. The project aims to bring the public sector and business together to create innovative medical, technological and legal solutions.
What telemedicine innovations are used in Poland?
Examples in Poland include telemedicine, telemetry, remote monitoring, e-prescriptions, electronic sick notes and the online health record Comarch HealthNote.
According to a Deloitte report, telemedicine and remote healthcare are the most important area of development for the medical sector. Deloitte expects that by 2040 at least 25% of outpatient procedures, prevention, long-term care and wellbeing will already be delivered remotely.
In Poland, examples of such solutions include telemedicine, telemetry and remote monitoring. It is now hard to imagine healthcare without e-prescriptions or electronic sick notes. Applications for medical facilities and hospitals are also being developed. In addition, tools are being created to support the needs of patients and doctors, e.g. the online health record Comarch HealthNote.
How is artificial intelligence changing medicine in Poland?
According to NCBR, the use of AI and machine learning is one of the main trends in medicine and biotechnology, and 43 start-ups (34% of those surveyed) in Top Disruptors in Healthcare 2021 were developing in AI.
According to data from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), one of the main trends is the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in both medicine and biotechnology. Research is focused mainly on diagnostics, drug development and telemedicine. The medical innovation market analysis showed that segments such as bioinformatics and machine learning, new therapeutic techniques and the development of immuno-oncology are also growing fast.
Interest in artificial intelligence is rising fast in the start-up sector. The review of innovative medical start-ups in Poland entitled "Top Disruptors in Healthcare 2021" listed 115 projects. According to the report, these start-ups are developing mainly in the areas of telemedicine (63 start-ups, i.e. 55% of those surveyed) and AI (43 start-ups, i.e. 34% of those surveyed). Topics such as rehabilitation support, clinical trials, education, medical data and those combining medicine with robotics also appear. The start-ups include, for example, BrainScan, which uses AI to automate and speed up imaging diagnostics based on computed tomography. Another is the ABA Stroke initiative, whose team is creating a digital drug used in cognitive therapy for stroke patients. Life Flow, meanwhile, focuses on a non-invasive method of diagnosing atherosclerosis based on algorithms used in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), using imaging data.
| Area | Number of start-ups | Share of those surveyed (%) |
|---|---|---|
| telemedicine | 63 | 55 |
| AI | 43 | 34 |
| all projects in the review | 115 | – |
How is robotic surgery developing in Poland?
There are currently 15 authorised da Vinci surgical robots operating in Poland, and the CorPath GRX and ExcelsiusGPS surgical systems are also in use.
Innovation in medicine also means modern medical equipment. Surgical robots have appeared in operating theatres. They make procedures less invasive and improve their quality, while reducing complications and the length of hospital stays. Robots have been used routinely in surgery since the beginning of the 21st century. There are currently 15 authorised da Vinci surgical robots operating in Poland. Although they are called robots, they are in fact advanced surgical manipulators. The CorPath GRX and ExcelsiusGPS surgical systems are also in use in Poland. There is also a continued focus on developing and introducing intelligent diagnostic systems.
What are biomaterials in medicine?
Biomaterials are materials from which devices and components that come into direct contact with body tissues can be made, such as implants, pacemakers and endotracheal tubes.
An important trend is the rapid development of the biomaterials and bioprinting sector. Biomaterials are materials from which devices and components that come into direct contact with body tissues can be made. Such products include, for example, implants, pacemakers and endotracheal tubes. "It appears that the development of these technologies has been accelerated by the wide availability of 3D printing, which makes it possible to design and make components that were previously impossible or difficult to produce. However, this sector is still at an early stage of development, and many projects are only at the research stage and require costly verification and medical certification" (NCBR).
Author: Marta Dzienkiewicz
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This text is not a full market analysis of the kind we carry out for our clients. It contains only selected information about the market, which we can expand on request.
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