The impact of color-change materials in the medical industry

Intelligent materials have a major application in the field of diagnostics. Some medical tests already use colour changes to detect biological anomalies.

This is the case with urine strips that react to the presence of glucose, nitrites or leucocytes, enabling the rapid diagnosis of a urinary infection or a metabolic problem. In the field of wound care, intelligent dressings capable of changing their colour according to the pH of the wound are currently being used. This technology makes it possible to signal the presence of an infection without removing the dressing, thereby reducing the risk of contamination and promoting better management.

Other applications, still under development, could revolutionise the early detection of disease. Fluorescent nanoparticles are being tested to target certain cancer cells and illuminate under a specific light, making it easier to detect them at an early stage. Reactive skin patches are also envisaged to analyse sweat and detect markers of chronic diseases, offering continuous, non-invasive monitoring of patients.

In France, around 30% of medical errors are linked to late or incorrect diagnosis, leading to medical complications and longer hospital stays. By reducing the need for invasive examinations and enabling faster treatment, these innovations could help to reduce hospital admissions and optimise the effectiveness of treatments.

The falsification of medicines is a major public health problem, with nearly 10% of medicines in circulation thought to be counterfeit, according to the WHO. To tackle this scourge, a number of solutions using intelligent materials have been developed. Fluorescent security inks are already incorporated into the packaging of certain medicines to guarantee their authenticity. These inks, invisible under normal light, fluoresce under UV light, making falsification more difficult.

Furthermore, the preservation of medicines, particularly vaccines and biological treatments, requires strict control of temperature conditions. Thermochromic labels are currently used to indicate whether a product has been exposed to an unsuitable temperature, thus guaranteeing its efficacy before administration. In the future, more advanced solutions are being developed, such as the use of oxidation-reactive capsules that would change colour to indicate when a medicine has expired.

These advances would prevent a large number of financial losses for the pharmaceutical industry and improve patient safety by limiting the circulation of ineffective or dangerous products.

The global market in counterfeit medicines is estimated at 200 billion dollars a year, representing around 10% of the global pharmaceutical market (Source Le Figaro), and the WHO estimates that 1 million deaths a year are caused by falsified medicines.

Across Europe, economic losses due to counterfeit medicines amount to almost 10.2 billion euros a year. For low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that substandard and falsified medical products account for expenditure of 30.5 billion dollars a year (World Health Organisation).

Hospital-acquired infections are a major health issue. Around 750,000 patients in France suffer from them every year, representing an estimated additional cost of between €2.4 and €6 billion for the healthcare system (Santé publique France).

A number of solutions incorporating intelligent materials have already been introduced to improve prevention. In some hospitals, colorimetric soaps are used to monitor the effectiveness of hand washing by carers. These soaps change colour after a sufficient amount of friction, guaranteeing optimal cleaning.

Other innovations ensure better hygiene of medical surfaces. Intelligent coatings change colour under the effect of UV rays when contaminated by biological residues invisible to the naked eye, making it easier to identify areas that need cleaning. In the longer term, inks capable of reacting specifically to the presence of pathogenic bacteria could be developed, making the monitoring of infections in hospitals even more effective.

According to estimates, better application of hygiene protocols could reduce hospital-acquired infections by up to 30%, representing potential savings of several hundred million euros each year for the healthcare system.