Insight into the Chinese Cardiac Electrophysiology Consumables Market in 2024 (Ablation Catheter Section)

This report aims to conduct an in – depth analysis of the clinical demand, market size, localization rate, and competitive landscape of domestic cardiac electrophysiology (ablation catheters) in 2024.

According to the Classification Catalogue of Medical Consumables of the National Healthcare Security Administration, the cardiac ablation catheters in this report refer to “electrophysiological treatment catheters”, “magnetic positioning treatment catheters”, “cryotherapy catheters”, and “other electrophysiological treatment catheters” in the item of “electrophysiological materials” under the category of “vascular interventional treatment materials”.

Ⅰ
Clinical needs

By the end of 2015, the proportion of people aged 65 and above in China exceeded 10% for the first time, reaching 14.3% by the end of 2023. With the accelerating trend of population aging, the number of cardiovascular disease patients has gradually increased. In 2024, the number of inpatient visits for arrhythmia in China was approximately 12.37 million, a year-on-year increase of 21%.

In 2024, catheter ablation procedures accounted for approximately 63% of the total number of arrhythmia treatment procedures in China, with the number of procedures reaching 385,000.

The growth rate of domestic catheter ablation procedures has slowed down slightly in the past three years, but it still maintains an increase of over 12%. In terms of disease types, the proportion of procedures for treating atrial fibrillation exceeds 45%, with a year-on-year increase of 20.75% in the number of procedures. In terms of technology, currently, the proportion of radiofrequency ablation procedures exceeds 90%, which remains the mainstream method.

Ⅱ

Market and Competition

According to the statistics of the terminal procurement market, in 2024, the market size of cardiac ablation catheter consumables in China increased by 10.28% year-on-year (higher than the overall growth rate of high-value consumables), reaching 7.4 billion yuan.

From the perspective of specific brands, in 2024, Johnson & Johnson’s cardiac ablation catheters ranked among the first echelon in terms of domestic market share, with leading technology and a high hospital application rate. Abbott, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic ranked among the second echelon; MicroPort EP, Jinjiang Electronics, and Welltech ranked among the third echelon, representing domestic brands that are rapidly catching up.

As of the end of 2024, only Medtronic’s registration certificates for cardiac ablation catheters approved by the NMPA cover the three major fields of radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and pulsed ablation. As a new technology for atrial fibrillation interventional treatment that has emerged in recent years, there are currently 6 brands of pulsed ablation products approved by the NMPA (4 domestic ones). The minimum listed prices of Denovo EP, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific are all around 83,000 yuan. Among them, Jinjiang Electronics has the lowest listed price, with a slight price advantage.

Ⅲ
Key influencing factors

Innovate approval policies to accelerate the entry of domestic brands into the market

By the end of 2024, the cumulative number of registered cardiac ablation catheter products in China reached 60, with radiofrequency ablation catheters being the main type. In recent years, the number of registered domestic products has increased significantly. Currently, the cumulative number (28) accounts for 46.67%.

Among them, the number of innovative cardiac ablation catheter products approved by the NMPA reached 11 (9 domestic products), and MicroPort EP received approval for 3 products.

Inter-provincial alliance volume-based procurement significantly reduces surgical penetration.

In recent years, Fujian Province took the lead in establishing the 27-province alliance and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei “3+N” alliance, and carried out large-scale centralized procurement of electrophysiological consumables. There were 10 selected brands for cardiac ablation catheter products, among which 6 were domestic brands.The average price reduction of medical consumables for cardiac interventional electrophysiology in the 27-province alliance led by Fujian Province is 49.35%. The average price reduction of the electrophysiology centralized procurement in the “3+N” alliance of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei is 45%.Recently, the Sichuan Provincial Healthcare Security Bureau issued the “Notice on Carrying out the Relevant Work of the Quantity – linked Centralized Procurement of Electrophysiological Medical Consumables in Sichuan Province” (SC – HCDL – 2025 – 2), officially launching the centralized procurement work in the field of cardiac interventional electrophysiological medical consumables in Sichuan Province. With the expansion of the scope of centralized quantity – linked procurement, the profits of consumable agents have been significantly compressed, and the medical costs of patients have decreased by more than 40% (for the consumable part), which will promote the growth of the number of surgeries and the consumption of consumables in the long term.

Ⅳ
Core Insights

The market for cardiac electrophysiology (ablation catheters) in China is expected to maintain a growth rate of over 10% in 2025. Compared with European and American countries, the market penetration rate of cardiac electrophysiology (ablation catheters) in China is still at a relatively low level.According to the statistics of the MDDI surgical volume database, the proportion of catheter ablation procedures in primary hospitals is less than 17%. With the continuous deepening of population aging in China, the burden of cardiovascular diseases and the number of inpatients with arrhythmias seeking medical treatment are constantly increasing.

The centralized volume – based procurement policy is expected to double the localization rate in 2025. China’s electrophysiology industry started relatively late and is mainly monopolized by companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic. In recent years, with strong national support, a large number of excellent enterprise products have emerged, such as those from Jinjiang Electronics and Denovo EP. As the scope of volume – based procurement gradually expands, the localization rate of China’s cardiac ablation catheter market will gradually increase in the future.

Jinjiang Electronics is the first domestic enterprise whose pulsed ablation catheter has been approved for marketing by the NMPA. In addition, domestic brands such as Welltech, Denovo EP, and Apex Medical have also successively obtained registration certificates for pulsed ablation catheters, and they are almost on the same starting line as imported brands. However, there are still challenges in aspects such as the surgical procedure (general anesthesia taking up surgical time), market promotion and education, and the establishment of industry standards. Whoever can establish an advantage first will enjoy the dividends of technological substitution first.

China is encouraging China end uses for more domestic products in latest years. Thus, more and more overseas manufacturers are planning localization in China. BradyKnows localization team has extensive experiences in facility establishment, audit, supplier evaluation, manufacturing, registration, and marketing in China. Pls feel free to let us know any questions on China entry via info@bradyknowsmedical.com

Source： MDDI
Translated & edited： Bradyknown