Results for two major clinical trials that were released in May 2021 indicate the future for renal denervation, a treatment for high blood pressure, may be bright. Global market value for renal denervation devices was estimated to be just over $13m in 2020, reflecting a drop in market value that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when physicians strongly preferred medical treatment over surgery when possible, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Ashley Young, Senior Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “There is huge room for growth in this market, especially given that no renal denervation devices are approved for use in the US yet. In the US alone, over 10 million people currently suffer from either primary or secondary resistant hypertension, representing a huge potential treatable patient pool.”

The devices involved in the clinical trials were Medtronic’s Symplicity Renal Denervation System and ReCor Medical’s Paradise Renal Denervation System. In the past, clinical trial results (whether positive or negative) have been muddled by confounding factors such as different medication regimes or patient compliance, making it hard to interpret the clinical benefit of renal denervation. The current studies aim to clear up these confounding factors, and both showed a significant reduction in blood pressure after renal denervation.

Young continues: “Strong, clear clinical trial results are what the renal denervation market needs to bounce back from the unclear clinical studies of the past. Results from the Global SYMPLICITY registry as well as the RADIANCE-HTN TRIO trial are a solid step in the right direction. Continued results such as this will give physicians the confidence they need to consider renal denervation as a serious option in treatment of medically-resistant hypertension.”