Medical Devices
More and more medical device companies are choosing to locate in Scotland (such as Johnson and Johnson, WL Gore and Associates, ATS Medical, Avecor Cardiovascular, St Jude Medical, Sulzer Vascutek and Haemonetics) joining the 250 healthcare companies that are already profiting from a country that offers the best in people, research and development, regulation, distribution and support. These capabilities provide an unrivalled environment for building productive and profitable businesses.
Scotland has a long tradition of medical excellence and a more recent world-class cluster of high technology companies, known as Silicon Glen.
As part of the European Union, Scotland is within the world's largest single developed marketplace, offering the best possible market opportunities for ambitious companies.
For centuries, Scotland has made important medical breakthroughs. From the world's first medical school in Aberdeen in 1497, to the discovery of penicillin and antiseptic surgery in the 19th century, Scotland has gone on to discover or invent chloroform, insulin, interferon, ultrasonic scanning, CT and MRI technologies.
Today, Scottish based companies are at the forefront of developments in immunology, biotechnology, cardiology, gerontology and advanced medical device manufacture including cryogenic and microfiltration systems, diagnostic kits, heart valves, next generation lasers, sensors and sutures.
Four of the world's top medical schools are in Scotland, giving companies access to a vast pool of qualified recruits or research partnerships. Scotland also has high technology science and business parks, with readily available centralised laboratories and facilities.
The relationship of Scotland's medical industry to universities and research institutes is unique and ensures the best of collaborative effort in its product development, clinical trials and testing. Eight of Scotland's 13 universities have campus science parks for companies actively engaged in research and development.
In many countries, regulatory approval can hold a product back for years before it gets to trial, let alone goes on sale. In Scotland, however, trial is part of the approval process, and doctors, hospitals, manufacturers and legislators work together to bring promising devices to be marketed sooner.
MediPark, in west central Scotland, is dedicated to companies producing medical technology, equipment and supplies. It has a state of the art manufacturing facility, ethylene oxide and steam sterilisation, laboratory and microbiology services and clean rooms.
Its clinical and regulatory services include device registration, reimbursement negotiation, investigator selection, regulatory submission, trial design and study management.
Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, on the east coast, also has a purpose-built sterilisation facility with class L clean rooms, microprocessor-controlled tunnel washers and ultrasonic washing machines, computer-controlled porous-load autoclave sterilisation and ethylene oxide sterilisation.
Silicon Glen, Scotland's cluster of high technology companies, provides manufacturers of medical devices with an unparalleled source of useful innovations.
Overall, Scotland offers medical device companies the ideal location for researching, developing, manufacturing and winning approval for innovative and profitable products.
Scottish exports of medical and surgical equipment was worth almost £34 million in 1997-98.
