VAGINAL SLINGS MARKET ANALYSIS

Vaginal slings are used to manage urinary incontinence, an undiagnosed condition where an involuntary leakage of urine happens due to losing control of the bladder. Laughing, coughing, sneezing, lifting of heavy things, and exercising are some of the activities that can result in urine leakage. Vaginal slings act like a hammock which upholds and supports the urethra and bladder to prevent leakage. There are several types of slings available in the market such as sub-urethral and pubovaginal slings. Placing pubovaginal slings are minimally invasive surgical procedures (a vaginal incision sling is placed), whereas, sub-urethral slings are placed around the urethra and attached to the abdominal wall.  Sling surgery is a common form of surgery, and slings are made using materials such as human tissue, cadaver tissue, pig or cow tissue, and mesh (synthetic material).

Global Vaginal Slings Market Drivers

Increasing prevalence of urinary incontinence is expected to drive global vaginal slings market growth over the forecast period. According to the Global Forum of Incontinence (GFI), in 2018 incidence of urinary incontinence is higher in females compared to males. According to the same source, prevalence of urinary incontinence in women aged 20 and above, is around 12.4% and in around 45% in women over the age of 40. Moreover, majority of these women suffer from daily urinary incontinence and stress urinary incontinence. For instance, according to same source 51% of females suffered from stress urinary incontinence, 11% suffer from urge urinary incontinence, and 17% suffered from mixed urinary incontinence. As a result, high global incidence of urinary continence is expected to drive demand for vaginal slings in the near future.

Vaginal slings placed using minimally invasive procedures are expected to witness significant growth in global vaginal slings market as compared to slings placed using invasive procedures. Key players in the market are focused on launching products for treatment of urinary incontinence. For instance, in 2013, American Medical Systems (AMS) launched the MiniArc Pro single-incision sling system for treating stress urinary incontinence in women. Moreover, Boston Scientific has innovative product line for treatment of urinary incontinence such as Advantage System, Obtryx System, and Lynx System. Moreover, reimbursements for vaginal sling placement procedures are available from organizations such as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Such factors are expected to propel global vaginal slings market growth over the forecast period.

Global Vaginal Slings Market Regional Analysis

North America is expected to dominate the global vaginal slings market growth due to high prevalence of urinary incontinence. For instance, according to the Global Forum of Incontinence (GFI) in 2018, reported prevalence of urinary incontinence in the U.S. is 9%. According to the same source, Europe is expected to support global vaginal slings market growth due to high prevalence of urinary incontinence (9.9%). Moreover, according to same source in Africa, prevalence for urinary incontinence was 7.2%, which is expected to drive the global vaginal slings market growth. The government of Australia initiated a Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) in 2010, which assists individuals with permanent and severe incontinence by providing financial assistance to support the treatment cost for their continence products.

Global Vaginal Slings Market Restraints

One of the major factors restraining growth of the global vaginal slings market is availability of alternative treatments for urinary incontinence over vaginal slings. Alternative treatments include drugs such as anticholinergic, mirabegron, alpha blockers, topical estrogen, and other products such as Transvaginal mesh used by doctors to repair weakened or damaged tissue in the bladder. In 2017, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) had reported adverse effects of single incision slings mesh such as vaginal mesh perforations, mesh erosion, and urinary retention. Such factors are likely to result in complete sling removal or partial sling removal as per severity of their side effects. The NCBI also reported complications resulting from sub-urethral slings, such as bleeding, injury to the urethra or bladder, urethral or bladder mesh erosion, vaginal extrusion of mesh, intestinal perforation, and urinary tract infection (UTI).

Global Vaginal Slings Market Key Players

Some of the major players operating in the global vaginal slings market are Boston Scientific Corporation, Coloplast, C.R. Bard, Ethicon, Inc., Betatech Medical, Caldera Medical, Medtronic plc., Analytic Biosurgical solution (ABISS), Agency for Medical Innovations (A.M.I. GmbH), and Promedon Group.

Global Vaginal Slings Market Taxonomy

By Product Type

• Tension-Free Vaginal Tape (TVT) Slings

• Transobturator Tape (TOT) Slings
• Retropubic Slings
• Single Incision Slings
• Pubovaginal Slings
• Mini-Slings

By Urinary Incontinence Type

• Urge Incontinence
• Stress Incontinence
• Mixed Incontinence

By Material Type

• Synthetic Slings
• Tissue Slings

By End User  

• Clinics
• Hospitals
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers

By Region

• North America
• Latin America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• Africa