CDMOs offer end-to-end development and manufacturing services, enabling OEMs to scale efficiently while focusing on core R&D. Medtech CDMOs stand out due to stringent regulatory requirements, long product life cycles, and higher margins. Southeast Asia is emerging as a key investment hub, driven by rising healthcare demand, localization policies, skilled labor, and geopolitical neutrality. Private equity can unlock value by globalizing SEA-based CDMOs, pursuing vertical integration, diversifying clients, and aligning with OEM expansion. Success hinges on tech capabilities, sector adjacencies, geopolitical resilience, and readiness to support emerging therapy areas, positioning medtech CDMOs as strategic growth enablers

Dr. Feras Mahdi of L.E.K. Consulting highlights Asia’s healthcare transformation, driven by digital innovation, demographic shifts, and rising demand. He emphasizes the need for telemedicine integration, preventive care, and medtech innovation through collaboration, regulation, and user-focused design. Building resilience requires data analytics, decentralised care, strong supply chains, and global cooperation.

By 2025, APAC’s medtech market is forecast to reach $140 billion, growing 5% annually and serving 60% of the global population. Key trends include rising demand for telehealth and precision medicine, driven by chronic disease and income growth. China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia are central to this expansion. Regulatory changes emphasize local manufacturing and value-based reimbursement. Telehealth, robotics, and AI are reshaping healthcare delivery. Success demands adaptable go-to-market strategies, strong clinical evidence, and local production. Private equity interest is strong, targeting aging-related and digital-health innovations. The imperative is clear: act decisively or fall behind in this rapidly evolving landscape

Early-stage medtech innovation in Asia-Pacific is stalling, with venture funding and M&A down 22% and 37% since 2021 due to inflation, supply disruptions, and stricter regulations. The region’s innovation maturity rates only 2 out of 5, lagging far behind the U.S. To reignite progress, stakeholders must act: regulators should expedite approvals and tie them to reimbursement; governments need agile grants, tax breaks, and talent support; universities and accelerators must foster IP-friendly, commercially focused environments; and major medtech firms and investors should ensure clearer funding and exit paths. Aligned efforts could lift confidence to 3.9 and position APAC as a global innovation hub.

AI isn't just a buzzword — it's reshaping the industry. As someone deeply involved in this space, we observed three distinct responses from medtech companies. Watch the video and learn more about ways to manage the journey ahead.

The pandemic spotlighted a major healthcare gap: preventive care was sidelined. Routine screenings dropped, leading to delayed cancer and cardiac diagnoses—raising costs and mortality. For example, early-stage cancer detection declined while late-stage diagnoses rose; heart attack treatments fell 18%, with in-hospital mortality up 40%. To respond better, hospitals must ensure continuity of care through data-driven risk identification, public education, telehealth, home diagnostics, and screening-only safety zones. Strengthening supply chains and patient communication is crucial. True preparedness goes beyond ICU capacity—it requires sustained access to essential services even in crisis, balancing emergency response with ongoing, routine healthcare

In 2023, MedTech faces mounting challenges: staffing shortages, economic instability, and supply chain disruptions. Deglobalization is accelerating regional supply strategies like “friend-shoring.” Investment has slowed, with mixed regional impacts—U.S. recovery, APAC strain, and European operational pressure. Direct-to-consumer advertising is gaining traction, especially for patient-facing devices. China’s volume-based procurement slashes prices, while the U.S. tightens reimbursement for diagnostics. Care decentralization demands improved data integration and tech-driven labor relief. Large firms are adding data services to hardware, but regulatory and awareness hurdles persist. With rising inequality and ESG demands, only agile innovators across supply, pricing, access, and digital fronts will succeed in this fragmented landscape.

APAC health systems face inflation, supply chain shocks, and rising demand, pushing a shift toward value-based healthcare (VBHC). The 2022 APACMed Symposium emphasized the need for transparent, MedTech-specific health technology assessment (HTA) frameworks rooted in real-world evidence and tailored for diagnostics and digital health. COVID-19 accelerated telehealth adoption, but MedTech HTA still lags behind pharma. Case studies from China, India, Korea, and Australia showcased diverse VBHC approaches, such as DRG reforms and dual-track appraisals. The report urges collaborative, evidence-based reforms, encouraging MedTech leaders to shape metrics and integrate VBHC into pricing, procurement, and innovation strategies across the region.

Digital transformation in MedTech must start with understanding customer needs. Journey mapping helps identify pain points, define personas, and highlight key moments of truth. Combining offline and digital touchpoints, robust research, and co-creation ensures solutions are relevant and impactful—guiding transformation strategies that balance desirability, feasibility, and long-term viability.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed MedTech’s digital gaps, prompting a shift toward data-driven, cloud-enabled care. Over 60% of mid-to-large-cap executives now prioritize analytics, AI/ML, and cloud technologies. This article outlines the digital transformation journey—from basic digitization to strategic reinvention—emphasizing that organizational culture, not technology, is the main barrier. Case studies of ResMed and Roche Diagnostics show how firms can evolve from device suppliers to value-based partners through data platforms. A practical roadmap—anchored in a clear vision, pilot projects, and ROI-focused execution—guides leaders in embedding digital capabilities and avoiding obsolescence in a rapidly advancing, competitive MedTech landscape

While COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca show strong efficacy and rapid development, major logistical and policy challenges remain. Cold storage requirements, distribution equity, follow-up tracking for second doses, and strategic deployment are critical concerns. Achieving herd immunity demands real-time analytics to guide vaccine rollout by region and risk. A centralized tracking system could ensure dosing compliance, monitor side effects, and support “immunity passport” integration. Nations must move beyond stockpiling to smart deployment, targeting hotspots and vulnerable populations. Though vaccine progress is promising, careful execution will determine its real-world success in halting the pandemic’s spread.

COVID-19 exposed global uncertainty and reactive decision-making. Instead of guessing, we need AI-driven systems that integrate real-time case data, mobility patterns, healthcare capacity, public sentiment, and scientific research to predict outbreaks and recommend timely actions. Such systems would stabilize markets, guide policies, and improve pandemic responses—saving lives and resources.

As Assistant Professor at Phoenicia University, I guided 38 students in designing impactful public health initiatives. Through dynamic teaching and real-world applications, students pitched programs tackling issues like cholera, smoking, and medication use. Their creativity, especially in merging health messages with cultural relevance, was amazing to see!