The global medical device industry has maintained strong growth for a long time. In 2020, the global medical device market exceeded 500 billion USD, with continued strong demand in both domestic and international markets, driving two-way growth in medical device imports and exports.
Chinese customs data shows that the import and export volume of medical devices in China has continued to grow in recent years. In 2020, China's medical device foreign trade volume reached 139.853 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 112.0%. Among them, imports amounted to 38.383 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 5.2%; exports amounted to 101.5 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 244.0%.`nbsp_tag
Hospital diagnostic and therapeutic equipment is the main import categoryFrom the perspective of the detailed product structure, hospital diagnostic and therapeutic equipment has always been the most important category of medical device imports and exports in China. Chinese customs data shows that in 2019, exports of hospital diagnostic and therapeutic equipment amounted to 12.456 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 23.61%, accounting for 43.40%; imports amounted to 18.665 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 23.39%, accounting for as high as 69.69%.
Data Source: General Administration of Customs, China Medical Insurance Chamber of Commerce
`nbsp_tagAccording to the "Guiding Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting the Healthy Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry", government procurement catalogs should, in principle, procure domestic products if domestic drugs and medical devices can meet the requirements. Therefore, from the structure of the import and export volume of medical devices, it can be seen that China's exports are mainly medical consumables, dressings, and low-to-mid-range medical equipment, while there is a relatively high dependence on imported products for high-end hospital diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. Medical device giants such as GE, Philips, and Siemens have long controlled the Chinese high-end medical equipment market.After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, while China's imports of computed tomography (CT) scanners and complete sets of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems increased, there was a global shortage of epidemic prevention materials, and the export of China's main epidemic prevention materials showed a significant growth trend, with masks, infrared thermometers, surgical gloves, and goggles becoming the main export products.
Many places have optimized the management of imported products by provincial health and health institutions
In order to further promote the management of the catalog list of imported products for government procurement by provincial health and health institutions, simplify procedures, improve the efficiency of government procurement of imported products, and optimize the management of government procurement of imported products, in recent years, many places have issued catalog lists of imported products for provincial health and health institutions.
From the recent "Announcement of the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission on the Catalog List of Imported Products for Provincial Health and Health Institutions in 2021", it can be seen that 46 products are included in the list. Not long ago, Sichuan Province issued the "Public Announcement of the Opinions on the Verification of the List of Imported Products for Government Procurement in 2021-2022 (Medical and Health Equipment Category)", adding 23 imported products for provincial government procurement, most of which are medical and health laboratory instruments, including tomographic DR imaging systems, accelerator quality control equipment, fully automated nucleic acid testing analyzers, gene sequencers, automated multi-channel liquid handling workstations, fully automated animal blood routine analyzers, fully automated blood coagulation analyzers (animal), purge and trap devices, thermal desorbers, gas chromatography multi-functional injectors, Suma can systems, microwave digestion devices, headspace sampling devices, hydrogen generators, nitrogen generators, capillary electrophoresis instruments, fully automated enzyme immunoassay systems, large-capacity ultra-low temperature centrifuges, fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzers, cell counters, etc.
The conclusions of the verification of these domestically produced equipment can basically be summarized as having a gap with imported equipment and being unable to meet the requirements of medical and health laboratories. Taking the "tomographic DR imaging system" as an example, this equipment is mainly used for fluoroscopy, DR imaging, long bone stitching, vascular intervention and other examinations. Domestic DR products only have ordinary imaging functions and no tomographic functions. However, imported DR systems obtain continuous multi-layer high-definition tomographic images in a single scan, which is used in orthopedics to solve complex structures that are difficult to display with ordinary flat imaging, and to provide clear diagnoses. For parts with external fixation and metal implants, it can avoid artifacts and show fine structures.
Therefore, under policy support, many excellent domestic medical devices have benefited and grown in opportunities, but the support policies and elimination mechanisms for excellent domestic medical devices still coexist. In the field of high-end medical devices, the clinical value of imported medical devices remains irreplaceable.
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