This book offers an analysis of the dynamics of the global medical
device (medtech) industry from the 1960s until the present, using the
approaches of business history and industry studies. While most of the
publications in the corresponding field have focused on particular
countries/regions or actors, this research is unique in its scope.
First, it explores the formation and development of medtech business
both globally and in the major countries engaged in this industry (the
United States, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, and China). Second,
it tackles a broad range of actors and organizations, from individual
entrepreneurs, medical doctors, and engineers to small family firms,
start-ups, and large multinationals, as well as universities and
research centers. Hence, for the first time, this book both provides a
general understanding of the formation and transformation of the medtech
industry throughout the world and sheds light on the main features of a
fast-growing business in the twenty-first century. This book will be of
value to historians, industry professionals, and analysts.