Medical Tubing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Fluoropolymers, PVC), By Application (Bulk Disposable Tubing, Drug Delivery Systems), By Region (APAC, North America), And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2028

Report Overview

The global medical tubing market size was valued at USD 11.39 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.0% from 2020 to 2028. The rising cases of respiratory diseases, such as asthma, lung cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis, are expected to boost the product demand as it is an essential component of respiratory devices, such as ventilators, that facilitate breathing. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in the cases of hospitalization, which resulted in high product demand for enhanced patient care. In Intensive Care Units (ICUs), disposable medical equipment is important for patient care, resulting in the increased demand for medical tubing as it is one of the important components of various medical devices.

In the U.S., the COVID-19 virus spread rapidly in 2020 resulting in the hospitalization of a large number of the population Moreover, there was a shortage of beds in hospitals & clinics. The demand for medical tubing used in various respiratory devices is witnessing significant growth in the U.S. due to the high cases of COVID-19 disease that affects the lungs, causing pneumonia and other respiratory difficulties.

Rising awareness about hospital-acquired diseases, coupled with increasing concerns pertaining to the spread of such infections, is projected to drive the demand for disposable medical devices. The growing number of collaborations and joint ventures between various companies in the medical device sector is expected to expand the global reach of disposable medical devices, consequently boosting the market growth.

Medical tubes have become smaller and thinner as they are preferred in medical procedures, such as angioplasty, endoscopy, and drug delivery systems. Surgical instruments and suction & fluid delivery devices rely on microtubes as an integral component to operate on the patient organ or tissue. The medical tubing industry is expected to remain highly competitive in the future as there is tremendous pressure on enterprises in this sector to develop high-quality solutions.

Plastics play an important role in the production of medical tubes, such as conduits for acquiring biopsy samples, vascular catheters, and stent holders, due to their inertness to body fluids and tissues, resistance to sterilization conditions, low cost for high volume applications, and higher optical properties. Thus, medical tubes made of plastics are witnessing increased adoption in medical devices.

Product Insights

The Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) segment led the market and accounted for more than 29.5% of the global revenue share in 2020. The increasing adoption of single-use pre-sterilized medical devices has led to the increased demand for PVC-based medical devices. PVC can also be sterilized using irradiation and ethylene oxide sterilization methods. PVC is biocompatible, transparent, and resistant to chemicals, due to which, it is the most preferred material in medical tube manufacturing.

Polyolefins are highly used in diameter medical tube devices as they require materials with a unique combination of strength and flexibility. In addition, they are used in a wide range of catheter applications from dilators to lumen liners as these materials offer low friction properties and are economically priced as compared to other materials, such as fluoropolymers and silicones.

Silicone is estimated to register the second-fastest CAGR of 7.7% from 2020 to 2028. Silicone medical tubing is used in medical implants, feeding tubes, and catheters where biocompatibility is important. It is highly used in medical devices as it provides gasketing, sealing, and safe fluid transfer properties, which cannot be achieved by using other materials.

The demand for polycarbonates is witnessing significant growth as they can be sterilized using all major methods, such as irradiation (both gamma and electron-beam), ethylene oxide, and steam autoclaving, which gives the device manufacturer broad flexibility in determining the most cost-efficient method for a product.

Application Insights

The bulk disposable tubing segment led the market in 2020 and accounted for more than 35% share of the global revenue. Bulk disposable devices include surgical instruments, urological products, syringes, and needles. The rising focus on the prevention of infection from one patient to another is expected to drive the segment growth over the forecast period.

Catheters are narrow tubes composed of medical-grade materials that serve a variety of roles in medical applications. They are introduced into the body of patients to treat diseases or to perform surgeries. The demand for catheters has witnessed significant growth on account of the increasing cases of chronic conditions that require hospitalization, thereby boosting the catheters segment growth.

The drug delivery systems segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of more than 9% from 2020 to 2028. Various types of drug delivery systems, such as injectable, respiratory, and connected drug delivery systems, use medical tubes to deliver the drugs to the target location.

The demand for diagnostic equipment is experiencing fast-paced growth to detect and mitigate diseases in the initial stages. Pneumatic tubes and blood collection tubes&equipment are expected to witness significant demand over the forecast period. The consistent and constant supply of laboratory equipment is anticipated to have a positive impact on the growth of the market over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

North America led the market in 2020 and accounted for more than 37% of the global revenue. North America is anticipated to maintain its leading position throughout the forecast period as the U.S. has kept its R&D tax credit low. In addition, various small, medium, and large companies are driving innovation in the healthcare sector to offer innovative treatments and devices and provide healthy lifestyles.

The well-established medical infrastructure and increasing healthcare expenditures are expected to drive the product demand in Europe. Steady demand for minimally invasive and diagnostic equipment, which use medical tubes, is also anticipated to boost the market growth over the forecast period. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing regional market from 2020 to 2028.

This growth is credited to the rising demand for better healthcare, which has forced medical equipment manufacturers to focus on the development of innovative ways to reach a wide range of people. The market in the Central & South American region is driven by the increase in the transfer of medical technology from the U.S. In Argentina, the presence of restrictions on the imports of medical devices, to encourage domestic manufacturing of the same, is expected to provide growth opportunities to the local manufacturers.

Medical Tubing Market Share Insights

Major manufacturers are focusing on building new production facilities or expanding the existing ones to fulfill the growing demand across various healthcare applications. For instance, in November 2020, Optinova set up a new manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania spanning around 95,000 ft² with over 20 advanced extrusion lines.

Manufacturers are also focusing on opening service and application offices at various locations across the world to strengthen their consumer base. For instance, in December 2019, Vanguard Products Corp. opened up new engineering support and applications development office in China to increase the consumer base in the Asia Pacific region. Some prominent players in the global medical tubing market include:

• Asahi Tec Corp.

• MDC Industries

• Nordson Corp.

• ZARYS International Group

• Hitachi Cable America Inc.

• NewAge Industries, Inc.

• TE Connectivity

• Freudenberg & Co. KG

• Spectrum Plastics Group

• ATAG SpA

• Saint-Gobain

• Bentec Medical

• Trelleborg AB

• MicroLumen, Inc.

• Optinova

• Vanguard Products Corp.

Medical Tubing Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2017 to 2028. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global medical tubing market report on the basis of product, application, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

  • Silicone

  • Polyolefins

  • Polyvinyl Chloride

  • Polycarbonates

  • Fluoropolymers

  • Others

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

  • Bulk Disposable Tubing

  • Drug Delivery Systems

  • Catheters

  • Biopharmaceutical Laboratory Equipment

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  •  Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

    • France

    • Russia

    • Spain

    • Italy

    • The Netherlands

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

    • Australia

    • Singapore

    • South Korea

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa