Last October, Emmanuel Macron presented France 2030, a 30 billion euro investment plan for a dozen sectors of activity including digital, hydrogen, batteries, space, health and culture. The goal is to enable France and Europe to regain their independence in the industries and skills of the future. It is in this context that Agnès Pannier-Runacher unveiled the “Innovative Medical Devices of Tomorrow” component of France 2030, with a budget of 400 million euros, during her visit to the BALT company site in Montmorency on Monday, February 21.

On Monday, February 21, Agnès Pannier-Runacher visited the site of BALT, a company founded in 1977 that specializes in innovative medical equipment for the treatment of vascular brain diseases, based in Montmorency (95). This company, which has more than 500 employees worldwide, creates microcatheters for interventional neuroradiology and is one of the world leaders in the sector. Its products are used to treat three types of pathologies: aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and strokes. The company states:

” For 40 years, Balt has been developing its expertise focused exclusively on certain brain pathologies, such as stroke or aneurysms. Throughout its history, Balt has been at the forefront of innovation in the field of interventional neuroradiology. Today, the breadth of its product portfolio echoes the expertise the company has built up over several decades. Over the years, Balt has become an industrial flagship in its field in France and internationally. Today, the company continues to innovate and manufacture at its sites in France, Switzerland and the United States. Its products are sold in about 100 countries around the world .

Between 2015 and 2021, the company quadrupled its sales and the government chose this thriving company to unveil the “Innovative Medical Devices” plan.”

7.5 billion for the “Health Innovation” plan

When presenting France 2030, Emmanuel Macron aimed for France to ” Return to the lead in a more predictive, preventive, innovative, personalized medicine and with a productive fabric made more in France.”

As part of this plan, the President of the Republic presented, during the Strategic Council for Health Industries 2021 (CSIS), the Health Innovation 2030 plan with €7.5 billion for health innovation, with a goal of making France the leading European nation in health innovation and sovereignty. This plan aims to support biomedical research, technology transfer, innovation, industrialization and market access for healthcare products in France. 400 million euros have been dedicated to the French medical device and in vitro diagnostic sector.

400 million euros dedicated to “Innovative medical devices

400 million has been allocated to enable researchers and companies to meet major technological and public health challenges: developing surgical robots to assist surgeons during complex operations, improving the performance and long-term tolerance of implants and prostheses, and developing medical devices and digital solutions for mental health in particular. This component includes the following 4 axes:

• Addressing major technological and public health priorities: 170 million will be dedicated to targeted actions and calls for projects to address public health priorities or remove technological barriers, in order to bring to the fore innovative medical and in vitro diagnostic devices (development of tomorrow’s surgical robots, implants, prostheses or medical devices and digital solutions for mental health).
• Enable companies in the sector to demonstrate the value of their products: A call for projects to “demonstrate the clinical effectiveness of medical devices for collective use” with a budget of 60 million euros will be launched to demonstrate the clinical and/or medico-economic benefits of medical devices within the French healthcare system.
• 140 million will be allocated to the “Innovation and Capacity for Health 2030” call for projects to support industrialization projects for innovative or strategic medical devices and in vitro diagnostics in France. This FPA will also identify and support company projects in the biotherapy and biomanufacturing sectors, as well as emerging infectious diseases.
• Supporting medical device companies in their market access efforts: €30 million will facilitate and accelerate market access for medical devices, and in particular the CE marking of products, notably through the establishment of a “regulatory diagnosis” window at Bpifrance, the creation of investigator networks, access to large cohorts and the financing of training for regulatory profiles.

Translated from Le gouvernement présente le plan « Dispositifs médicaux innovants » de France 2030