Public health care budgets are under pressure all over the world. However, because of population ageing in Western countries, there is increasing demand for medical care. The current focus on society and population needs has led to more ambitious goals in the area of medical technology.

These trends have given rise to the following developments:

• An increasing need for growth and development capital that will have to be provided by banks and private equity firms;
• Increasing market demand, which results in organic growth and corporate acquisitions that involve potentially lucrative intellectual property rights;
• Scaling-up in order to reduce prime costs.