Medical market: how foreign goods dominated the world how to "kill the bleeding road"?

In the domestic medical device equipment market, foreign capital and joint ventures have become the main force, and imported products have formed a monopoly in sales in China. Domestically produced medical devices surrounded by "foreign brands" are only likely to innovate independently and have their way to occupy their own positions.

"China can create satellites and can carry manned space. How can we produce artificial joints and screws?" Facing the expensive "coast joints" in the hospital, some experts joked, "Maybe only cotton and gauze can be used internationally." There are your own brands."

It's not hard to notice a little attention that the high-end medical devices used in hospitals today are almost all foreign goods, and domestic products can only be difficult to save in the low-end market at the front door.

Not long ago, at the second session of China's independent innovation and development of medical equipment, the topic of “How to innovate” has been put on the table once again. However, the participating experts did not think that the topic was old. They felt that domestic medical devices surrounded by “foreign brands” could only win the blood and occupy their own positions.

Foreign goods dominate the world

“In the domestic medical device market, foreign capital and joint ventures have become the main force, and imported products have formed a monopoly in sales in China.” Qiu Guixing, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Orthopaedics Department of Peking Union Medical College hospital, said the embarrassing situation of the domestic medical device industry.

According to the data, China will spend hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in foreign exchange to import large amounts of medical equipment from abroad. Nearly 70% of domestic high-end medical device markets are divided by developed companies. The market for medical equipment such as nuclear magnetic, MR, and CT is mainly concentrated in GE and Siemens. In the hands of foreign companies such as Philips.

In the field of medical electronic products in China, 90% of the electrocardiograph market, 80% of the mid- to high-grade monitor market, 90% of the high-end multichannel physiological recorder market, and 60% of the sleep graph meter market are occupied by foreign brands. Domestic products are It mainly focuses on low value-added types such as massage instruments and blood pressure measuring instruments.

According to Qiu Guixing, 80% to 90% of China's high-end domestic medical equipment used at this stage is imitation, and many high-end medical devices are monopolized by foreign capital, resulting in high prices and intensifying the society in which the people are expensive. contradiction.

However, Wang Yan, director of the Department of Orthopaedics at the People's Liberation Army General Hospital, still has an optimistic attitude towards the domestic medical device market. In his opinion, the ratio of consumption of medical devices and drugs in China is only 1:5, while the ratio of developed countries is 1:1. There is still a huge gap in China's medical device industry.

However, "the ideal is very full, the reality is very edgy," and domestic medical device products are always unable to get rid of the "cottage" and "low end" titles.

Lack of core technology <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> Qiu Guixing's analysis is mainly due to the late start of China's medical device industry, leading to inadequate technology precipitation and accumulation "The technical requirements of equipment and equipment for talents are high, and those who are proficient in materials science, engineering design, and clinical medicine are required. However, there is no medical equipment design specialty in universities in China."

At the same time, the level of China's medical device technology is insufficient, and many core technologies are monopolized by developed countries. China's share of the international market is less than 2%. Qiu Guixing said that China's medical equipment manufacturers use traditional production methods, many products are low-level repeat production, technical level is only in the middle and low, and most products are low-end assembly.

It is even more important to point out that many domestic companies are short-sighted today, pursuing high profits and quick returns, and they like to do "one-shoulder sales." Qiu Guixing analyzed this. Because of the high profit of medical device equipment, some small-sized enterprises can't enter big hospitals, but they can make money when they enter small hospitals. Such small businesses are very easy to self-satisfied and do not want to bother or invest in R&D. .

In addition, Cheng Chenggong, a special professor of the “Thousand People Project” of the School of Biological and Medical Engineering at Beihang University, believes that the lack of R&D capabilities of domestic SMEs is mainly due to the lack of patent analysis and layout capabilities. In addition, due to the incomplete cooperation mechanism of the production, research, and medical doctors, it also causes the lack of research engine of the enterprise.

Qiu Guixing also stressed that because the government did not issue corresponding supporting policies, the country has not yet formed a perfect market operation and training system, which also relatively restricts the development of domestic medical equipment.

Take the road of independent innovation <br> <br> recent years, in the field of medical devices often discussed the question of how to development of domestic enterprises, but out of the "prescription" or operability is not strong, or not touched at all.

It is worth emphasizing that in 2010, the medical device market reached 120 billion yuan. Experts predict that in the next five years, China's medical device equipment sales revenue will also double, indicating that the domestic medical device equipment market has extremely broad development space.

In the face of opportunities, industry experts have jointly called for domestic enterprises to rely on foreign investment, which is not a fundamental measure, or whether they should take the path of self-reliance and self-development.

In this regard, Qiu Guixing proposed that the State should strengthen the cultivation of composite talents in hospitals and medical equipment manufacturers, and encourage clinicians to directly participate in product research and development of orthopaedic devices that are in line with the characteristics of Chinese people and the characteristics of illnesses. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights of domestic brands to ensure that their own brands are not harmed; build leading enterprises and strengthen their ability to compete with international companies.

However, Wang Yan believes that under the current situation, it is difficult for a single enterprise to complete large-scale R&D, whether it is capital or technology, or it should encourage joint ventures and mergers to achieve economies of scale in order to increase production concentration and market share.

Chen Dongmin, dean of the Institute of Industrial Technology of Peking University, believes that domestic universities and national research institutes should also directly assist enterprises in their innovation. The technology transfer of Chinese research universities must explore innovative models to meet sustainable economic development.

A number of experts have appealed that the medical device industry also needs more support and support from the government and regards medical devices as an important civilian production industry. The state should formulate preferential policies for taxation, credit, etc., and provide support for government procurement policies, and formulate corresponding incentive policies for enterprises from raw material production to device development and production.

"Europe and Japan's medical device industry is supported as a welfare industry, and China can also draw on references." Wang Yan said.