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Medical Devices

Medical Devices

Designed for profitability

Innovation is more than a catch phrase for Canadian medical device manufacturers – it’s the way they do business. Canada is a global leader in digital radiography, in vitro diagnostics, cardiovascular devices, dental implants and materials, and home health-care products – and the first to receive regulatory approvals for many of these discoveries. Canada is already home to some of the top medical device companies on the planet, anxious to capitalize on the commercialization of these technologies. Others are simply attracted by the country’s high potential for profitability.

Canada offers an economically appealing location for medical device manufacturing, with a progressive regulatory regime, rich R&D tax advantages, low labour and operating costs, and the best educated workforce in the world. Add Canada’s leadership in related industries – biotechnology, advanced materials, microelectronics, software and informatics, and telecommunications – and it’s the obvious choice for investors seeking healthy growth.

Look what Canada has to offer

  • 1,000 firms, mostly SMEs, employ 26,000 people
  • Revenues of $4 billion and exports of $2.4 billion in 2007 – 76% to the U.S.
  • Large, productive, highly-skilled and highly-educated workforce
  • Medical device manufacturing costs are the lowest in the G7
  • 2nd among OECD countries in tax relief per R&D dollars spent
  • Canada ranks #2 among the G7 for patent protection

Sector strengths

Canadian medical device manufacturers specialize in medical, surgical and dental equipment, including electromedical equipment and related software, as well as furniture, supplies and consumables, orthopaedic appliances, prosthetics and diagnostic kits, reagents, and equipment. They excel in:

Cardiovascular devices

Canada is home to several highly innovative cardiovascular device firms, including Vancouver’s Neovasc, Greater Toronto’s Novadaq Technologies, and Montreal-based CryoCath Technologies (acquired by Medtronic in 2008), which develops products that are used in more than 500 centres around the world.

Medical imaging

Calgary’s Imaging Dynamics is a global leader in digital radiography, with its imaging system being used in nearly 40 countries worldwide. Advanced Research Technologies’ SoftScan® breast cancer diagnostic tool and Clemex Technologies’ world-renowned image analysis tools contribute to Canada’s position as a leading player in the field.

In vitro diagnostics

Canada leads the way in in vitro diagnostics with MedMira Laboratories’ flow-through rapid diagnostics. This Halifax-based firm has produced the only such test to achieve regulatory approvals in Canada, the United States, China and the European Union. Across the country, Vancouver region’s Response Biomedical Corp. has formed strategic alliances with 3M Company and with Roche Diagnostics to commercialize its diagnostic tests in various parts of the world.

Engineering Excellence

Canadian medical device manufacturing firms can draw on innovative research being conducted in Canadian universities, research institutes and hospitals. Almost 10% Canadian medical device companies are spin-offs of universities, other firms or laboratories. Clusters of excellence can be found in the following Canadian cities:

Toronto is home to the MaRs Centre, a gateway to Canada’s largest concentration of scientific research, anchored by major teaching hospitals, the University of Toronto and more than two dozen affiliated research institutes. The city hosts subsidiaries of major multinational medical device firms specializing in medical imaging, robotics and e-health. The sector is well-served by colleges and universities throughout the province that produce 29,000 graduates a year in mathematics, engineering and sciences, ensuring a steady supply of new talent.

Montréal’s booming medical technologies industry includes companies focused on radiology, cardiology, orthopedics, oncology, obstetrics, clinical decision assistance, dentistry and remote surgery. Firms based in the city can take advantage of Quebec’s optic-photonic sector and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Materials Institute. Plans are in the works for two new hospital centres that will further strengthen the sectors cluster – the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and the McGill University Health Centre. Montreal is home to many cutting-edge companies such as Art, Noveko International, Orthosoft and Resonant Medical.

Winnipeg is leading research into MRI and other non-invasive surgical technologies conducted at the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics, Canada’s most advanced facility for magnetic resonance technologies, and at the St. Boniface General Hospital Research Centre. The city also benefits from the University of Manitoba Health Sciences Centre and the Centre for the Commercialization of Biomedical Technology. Foremost firms in the region include IMRIS Inc., a global leader in the supply of fully integrated, intraoperative imaging systems and Intelligent Hospital Systems Inc., which designs and develops automated solutions for hospitals.

Edmonton and the surrounding region host globally-recognized researchers and state-of-the-art facilities that provide a wealth of biomedical research capacity. The universities of Alberta, Calgary and Lethbridge provide an unparalleled environment for primary research, including the National Institute for Nanotechnology and the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics West. The area’s medical devices sector is renowned for wound care, personal protective equipment, medical diagnostics and medical imaging technologies.

Vancouver’s medical device manufacturing and distributing companies specialize in interventional and implantable cardiology, diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound, diagnostic testing and analysis, as well as orthopedic and device design and development. Investments of $1.5 billion in science infrastructure in recent years, including major investments in R&D, enhance the sector’s success. Simon Fraser University’s 4D labs support the cluster through its research on advanced materials and nanoscale devices.

Halifax’s technology cluster champions pour more than $100 million into research each year, coupled with universities, colleges, hospitals and government labs engaged in life-sciences work – are enticing leading medical device manufacturers to produce pioneering products. Firms based in the city, such as MedMira Laboratories, specialize in in invtro diagnostics while Eastmed’s devices cater specifically to women's health and St. Andrew’s Cross is developing medical surgical devices.

London has a vibrant and growing Life Sciences sector. There are 19 hospitals and research facilities with 20,000 people employed in this sector including 2000 researchers. Recent investments in London are supporting the needs and attracting companies from around the world. World renowned research institutes such as the University of Western Ontario, Robarts Research Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute and Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR) specialize in diverse fields such as Medical and Molecular Imaging, Biomedical Engineering, Validation, Education, Biomaterials and Nanotechnology. London is where Medical Devices investments come to life!!! www.medicaldevicesontario.com



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For More Information

Medical Devices Specialist

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Global Life Sciences Team
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G2

Cheryl Holden
Global Pratice Lead
Telephone: (613) 996-7186

Kim Ryel
Business Advisor - Medical Devices, Nanotechnology
Telephone: (613) 944-1605

Brad Millson
Investment Advisor

Mary Boreskie
Industry Development Officer
Telephone: (613) 952-2202