Source: China Medical Journal; Author: Ma Yanhong
Today, clinicians can hardly diagnose a disease without in vitro diagnosis and medical imaging. Among the many medical imaging methods, magnetic resonance (MRI) technology equipment is promoted and applied very fast. Recently, the China Medical Equipment Association released the 2015 China MRI Market Development Report (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") shows that from 2011 to 2015, China's annual sales of magnetic resonance equipment increased from 892 units to 1507 units, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.1%; The number of magnetic resonance equipment increased from 4381 to 9,089, with a COMPOUND annual growth rate of 15.7%, while the number of magnetic resonance equipment per million population increased from 3.3 to 6.6.
"Despite this, the per capita ownership of magnetic resonance equipment in China is still at a low level, and it is difficult to meet medical needs. In the future, China's magnetic resonance equipment market has a larger space for development. Professor Cui Zeshi, deputy secretary-general of the China Medical Equipment Association, told reporters.
Low-end market: dominant
Magnetic resonance imaging is a new medical imaging diagnostic technology developed in the 1980s, and it is another important advance in medical imaging after computer tomography (CT). From the technical level, magnetic resonance equipment is divided into low-end, mid-range, high-end three-stage. According to the report, from 2011 to 2015, the annual sales of low-end magnetic resonance equipment below 1.0 Tesla (T) increased from 338 units to 508 units, with an average annual compound growth rate of 8.5%, and the market is basically occupied by domestic manufacturers, the mainstream products are permanent magnetic resonance equipment.
"Permanent magnetic resonance equipment in line with China's small and medium-sized hospitals for high quality and price low magnetic resonance equipment demand. Cui Zeshi further introduced that the permanent magnetic resonance equipment is characterized by simple materials, manufacturing difficulty is small, costs and prices are low, and the installation of equipment is simple, once molded homogenous field does not need to be adjusted. It is worth noting that domestic enterprises in the production of permanent magnetic resonance equipment has the advantages of resources. This is because China has a wealth of magnetic materials resources, rare earth reserves and supply accounted for 37% of the world's total reserves and 70% of the total supply. In recent years, the performance and quality of magnetic materials in China have improved rapidly and at reasonable prices, thus promoting the rapid development of permanent magnetic resonance equipment in China.
Mid-market: fastest growing
For the mid-range magnetic resonance equipment market, according to Professor Cui Zeshi analysis, the mainstream products are clinical practical 1.5 T superconducting magnetic resonance equipment. As a high-field strong magnetic resonance equipment, it can complete amyron, neurology, cardiology and other clinical applications, especially for prostate disease, meningitis, musculoskeletal system disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other diseases of the early qualitative analysis and treatment planning. The clinical and practical 1.5T superconducting magnetic resonance equipment developed by our country is equivalent to the technical level of the same grade products abroad, which can meet the daily diagnostic needs of large and medium-sized hospitals.
According to the report, the annual sales of 1.5T magnetic resonance equipment in China increased from 408 to 771 units from 2011 to 2015, representing a COMPOUND annual growth rate of 13.6%. With the ultra-high field strong magnetic resonance equipment technology is gradually transplanted to 1.5T magnetic resonance equipment, the latter becomethe most mature model.
"Although 3.0T magnetic resonance devices scan faster and have higher resolution than 1.5T magnetic resonance devices, the latter has a proven, more reliable imaging magnetic field strength and quality. In general, cost-effective is the main reason for the rapid development of 1.5T superconducting magnetic resonance equipment. Cui Zeshi said.
High-end market: the gap is obvious
At present, the mainstream products of China's high-end magnetic resonance equipment market are clinical research type 1.5T superconducting magnetic resonance equipment and 3.0T superconducting magnetic resonance equipment. Among them, the signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution of 3.0T devices are significantly higher, and the scanning speed is fast, and the vascular imaging effect is significantly stronger than that of 1.5T magnetic resonance devices.
According to the report, the annual sales of 3.0T magnetic resonance equipment in China increased from 146 to 228 units from 2011 to 2015, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.3%. There are five brands on the market: GE, Siemens, Philips, Toshiba and Shadow. Due to the high price, the main users are scientific research institutions, large hospitals.
Cui Zeshi admitted that in technology, domestic high-end magnetic resonance equipment compared with similar products abroad there is still a clear gap, especially in high-definition dispersion, spectral analysis, functional imaging (fMRI) and other advanced imaging, many domestic equipment is difficult to achieve.
Market forecast: Domestic demand is still strong
With the continuous development of medical technology, magnetic resonance equipment has improved greatly in terms of accuracy, applicability and effectiveness, the report said. This will prompt a large number of "old" magnetic resonance equipment to "retire" ahead of time, triggering new market demand. It is expected that china's magnetic resonance equipment sales will increase in 2016, after the next few years will level off, the holding volume continues to grow.
"The fixed assets of medical equipment of large general hospitals are worth RMB 100 million, and the annual investment in medical equipment is in the tens of millions of dollars, and there is great room for expansion. In addition, the life of magnetic resonance equipment is generally 8 to 10 years. After a certain number of years of use, medical institutions need to upgrade and upgrade old equipment or purchase new equipment. At present, some provincial and municipal hospitals have begun to replace the old equipment used for many years, equipped with a more functional clinical application of 1.5T high field strong magnetic resonance system. However, because of the high cost of purchasing new equipment, many hospitals still prefer existing equipment upgrades and upgrades. Cui Zeshi introduced.
The report also mentions that at present, some large teaching hospitals in China are also updating and introducing clinical research-type magnetic resonance equipment. The establishment of regional medical imaging center will promote the development of medical imaging industry. At the same time, the state's support for domestic equipment far exceeds the past. This will accelerate the process of localization of medical imaging diagnostic equipment and promote the rapid market share of domestic equipment. Domestic magnetic resonance equipment enterprises are facing major development opportunities.
"Although magnetic resonance imaging takes a short time, doctors spend far more time and energy reading and analyzing MRI images than CT, " Cui added. At present, the clinical application of magnetic resonance equipment urgently needs to strengthen the training of professionals. In particular, primary medical staff in the use of magnetic resonance equipment there is a clear technical 'short board'. It is suggested that enterprises in the expansion of the grass-roots magnetic resonance equipment market at the same time, but also to give more technical support.