Ischemic stroke market will likely experience limited impact despite second wave

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has heavily impacted markets across the medical devices industry. However, the stroke market has been showing some stability and will likely experience a slight uptick in the near future as a result of Covid-19. A recent study published by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) highlighted significantly high rates of severe strokes and a higher risk of death among Covid-19 patients of all ages, also reporting younger patients experiencing strokes as their first symptom.

Several leading manufacturers in the neurovascular space have noted stable sales in their ischemic stroke portfolios. GlobalData expects that while the market has experienced some negative impact on growth compared to the previous year, the urgent nature of stroke care will limit the impact to a decrease of approximately 5%.

Growth in the thrombectomy market is expected to return to pre-Covid-19 levels in 2021. Other markets within the neuro space have experienced a significantly greater impact, where procedures to treat neuromodulation and aneurysm experienced declines of up to 50% during the peak of the first Covid-19 wave, while the number of stroke treatment procedures have experienced declines of less than 10%.

The recent AAN study of stroke among Covid-19 patients, in addition to the rising number of stroke cases, highlights the importance of stroke care now more than ever, pushing manufacturers to continue releasing innovative treatment devices. Cerenovus, the neurovascular subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, recently announced the release of three new devices for clot removal, including its third-generation stent retriever. GlobalData expects that advances in stroke care will be imperative in minimising post-stroke complications, and the stroke market will experience minimal impact in the expected second wave.

For more insight and data, visit GlobalData's Medical Intelligence Centre