Insight into China’s Ultrasonic Knife Head Industry in 2024
01
Industry situation
1. Registrant
In recent years, the number of registered enterprises for ultrasound soft tissue surgical blade products in China has significantly increased, and as of the end of August 2024, it has exceeded 80.
Figure 1: The number of registered enterprises for ultrasound soft tissue surgical blade heads in China from 2013 to the end of August 2024
Source of data: National and Provincial Drug Administration.
As of the end of August 2024, there were 80 registered domestic enterprises for ultrasound soft tissue surgical blade heads, accounting for over 95%; There were only 3 registered overseas enterprises, including 2 in the United States and 1 in Japan.
2. Product Registration
Since 2020, the number of registered ultrasound soft tissue surgical blade products has grown rapidly, with over 40 new product registrations in both 2022 and 2023. As of the end of August 2024, there were a total of 176 effective products registered for ultrasound soft tissue surgical knives in China, with products with a maximum diameter of 5mm that can seal blood vessels being the main ones; In addition, there are already two products registered in China that can be used to close blood vessels with a maximum diameter of 7mm. The registrants are Hunan Bantuo Medical Technology Co., Ltd. and Surgnova Healthcare Technologies (Zhejiang)。
Figure2: Registration Quantity of Ultrasonic Soft Tissue Surgical Knife Heads in China from 2013 to the End of August 2024
Source of data: National and Provincial Drug Administration.
Figure 3 Distribution of registration quantity and category of domestic ultrasound soft tissue surgical blade products as of the end of August 2024 (by maximum diameter of closed blood vessels)
Source of data: National and Provincial Drug Administration.
As of the end of August 2024, the registered number of domestically produced ultrasound soft tissue surgical blade heads in China has reached 164, accounting for nearly 95%.
Figure 4: Registration Proportion of Domestic and Imported Ultrasonic Soft Tissue Surgical Knife Heads in China as of the End of August 2024
Source of data: National and Provincial Drug Administration.
02
Market situation
- Market size
According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of surgeries performed on hospitalized patients in medical institutions in China is expected to reach over 89 million by 2024, with the proportion of general surgery and gynecological surgeries increasing year by year. It is estimated that there will be approximately 27.78 million surgeries performed by 2024, accounting for 31.08% of the total number of surgeries performed.
Figure 5: Surgical volume in Chinese medical and health institutions from 2021 to 2024
Source of data: National and Provincial Drug Administration.
With the continuous increase in the volume of general and gynecological surgeries, the demand for ultrasonic scalpel heads in China is increasing. Against the backdrop of continuous centralized procurement of ultrasonic scalpel heads in various provinces and alliances, the market penetration rate of ultrasonic scalpel heads in China is rapidly increasing. It is expected to exceed 10% for the first time by 2025 and reach 24.39% by 2028.
Figure 6: Penetration rate and market size of ultrasonic cutting heads in China from 2021 to 2028E
Source of data: National and Provincial Drug Administration.
- Segmented fields
Ultrasound knife heads can be divided into three types based on the diameter of the blood vessels that can be closed: ≤ 3mm, ≤ 5mm, and ≤ 7mm. Currently, 3mm and 5mm are the main types in China, with only four approved products for 7mm having relatively small market share.
Figure 7 Market Share of Various Types of Ultrasonic Knife Heads in China from 2021 to 2024 (by Quantity)
Source of data: National and Provincial Drug Administration.
- Competitive landscape
Since 2020, the number of registered ultrasonic blade products and production enterprises in China has exploded, and the competitive landscape of the ultrasonic blade market in China has undergone significant changes. In terms of market concentration, CR4 has decreased from 74.8% in 2021 to 57.2% in 2024; On the other hand, under the influence of centralized volume based procurement, the market share of imported brands has declined to a certain extent. According to Join Chain’s calculation, the top six brands in China’s ultrasound blade market share by quantity in 2024 are Johnson&Johnson, Affacare, Reach Surgical, Innolco, Miconvey, and BanBbianTian. In addition, Mindray Medical’s ultrasound blade market share also saw a significant increase in 2024.
03
Development Trends
- The scope of centralized procurement continues to expand
Since the first centralized procurement of ultrasonic cutting heads in Fujian Province in 2020, as of the first half of 2024, 21 provinces (including municipalities and autonomous regions) in China have carried out centralized procurement of ultrasonic cutting heads.
- Under the promotion of centralized procurement, the share of domestic brands has increased significantly
In November 2021, the Shenzhen Public Resource Trading Center issued a notice on the centralized procurement of ultrasonic knife heads and pre filled catheter irrigators, with the widest coverage area for centralized procurement of ultrasonic knife heads. In March 2022, the Shenzhen Public Resource Trading Center released an announcement on the selection results of centralized procurement of ultrasonic knife heads and pre filled catheter flushers. A total of 35 enterprises participated in the registration of ultrasonic knife head centralized procurement, and 58 product registration certificates were registered. The selection rate of enterprises reached 77.14% (27), and the selection rate of product registration certificates reached 65.52% (38), covering mainstream products in the market. Among them, the number of selected domestic enterprises accounts for 88.89%, and the number of selected domestic product registration certificates accounts for 86.84%.
Figure 8: Announcement on the Selection Results of Centralized Procurement of Ultrasonic Knife Heads and Pre-filled Catheter Flushers with Quantity Distribution of Registration Certificates for Ultrasonic Knife Head Enterprises and Products
Fig. 9 .Percentage of selected enterprises and product registration certificates for ultrasonic scalpel heads manufactured in China in the ‘Announcement on the Announcement on the Announcement of the Results of the Successful Selection of the Centralised Volume Purchasing of Ultrasonic Scalpel Heads and Prefilled Catheter Flushers’.
Source of data:：Joinchain
The selection rate of brands with centralized quantity procurement is high, with domestic enterprises accounting for nearly 90%. From the situation of several purchases in recent years, domestic brands have a significant price advantage and high product cost-effectiveness. With the approval of Bantuo Medical and Surgnova Healthcare Technologies ‘s 7mm large blood vessel closure products, the localization rate is expected to further increase.
3. Market competition has entered a white hot stage
According to Joinchain’s statistics, it is expected that by 2028, the usage of ultrasonic cutting heads in China will exceed 14.6 million, tripling from 2023. Faced with such a hot market, the number of companies entering the ultrasonic cutting industry is also rapidly increasing.
In the first half of this year, Mindray Medical topped the ultrasound knife equipment market with a market share of 29.82%. In the just concluded “3+N” pharmaceutical procurement alliance in the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, Mindray Medical ranked fifth in the number of selected ultrasound knife heads, second only to Miconvey.
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：Joinchain
Translated & edited： Bradyknow
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