- United States
The United States is the leading medical device manufacturing powerhouse. The United States has the best platform and environment for the development of medical devices in the world, and it is also one of the most important original places and the most mature medical device venture capital market. The United States has the world-renowned Mayo Clinic (the No. 1 hospital in the United States) and the Da Vinci surgical robot developed by the world’s most famous Intuitive surgical company. It is worth mentioning that Ntuitive Surgical is a component of the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 indices.
The US device market has long held a 41% global market share. There are three main states in the United States that are famous for medical devices: California (West), Minnesota (Central) and Massachusetts (Eastern). Among them, the pillar industry in Minnesota is medical equipment, and there are thousands of medical equipment companies, with the headquarters of many international giants.
The U.S. is the largest medical device market in the world, with extremely high market value; due to the aging population in the U.S., the trend of population obesity is obvious, and the chronic disease and nursing markets are expanding rapidly; local healthcare products have a strong consumption capacity; supported by many local academic institutions, enterprise products high degree of innovation.
It is worth mentioning that the United States has most of the top medical device companies in the world, such as the famous Baxter, Beckman Coulter, and Becton Dickinson, which once acquired Bard Medical, famous for medical catheters, C.R. Bard Inc.), Boston Scientific, GE Healthcare Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Stryker Corporation ), Cardinal Health, etc.
- Japan
From the perspective of the world medical device market, as early as the end of the 1990s, the Japanese medical device market accounted for about 15% of the global market. Although it later fell to about 8-9%, it was still the second largest single market after the United States. country market. Japan’s medical device industry has a long history. For example, the world-renowned medical device giants Terumo, Olympus Medical, Toshiba Medical, and Fujifilm were all founded before World War II. After World War II, Japan’s medical device industry has achieved breakthrough development and has become the world’s advanced level.
Unlike other countries in the world, Japan regards in vitro diagnostic equipment as medical equipment, while reagents are included in pharmaceuticals for statistics. As a powerful country in the machinery, optics, electronics and materials industries, Japan has a very comprehensive medical equipment industry category and is able to produce most categories of medical devices. The Japanese medical device industry is best at and has the most international competitiveness, such as electronics, diagnostics, dialyzers, and household medical devices that have achieved breakthroughs since the 1970s and 1980s;
The number of medical institutions in Japan is larger than that of other developed countries. According to previous OECD statistics, in terms of population ratio, it is about 3.5 times that of the United States, 2.7 times that of Germany, and 1.5 times that of France. It is worth mentioning that Japan’s medical system is quite strict, and it has higher requirements for products, specifications, inventory, packaging, etc. than other countries. In addition to the advantageous field of medical imaging, Japanese medical device companies also have very strong comprehensive strength in ophthalmology, cardiovascular and IVD, and have extensive international influence.
- Germany
Germany has the largest medical device industry in the world after the United States. There are more than 170 medical device manufacturers, most of which are small and medium-sized companies. Germany used to be the largest producer and exporter of medical devices in Europe, and also the top exporter of medical devices in the world. It is worth mentioning that the export volume of German medical device products once surpassed Japan to rank second in the world, and about 2/3 of the medical device products produced by German companies are exported.
According to Western media reports, the number of patents for medical device inventions and utility models applied by German medical device companies is the highest among European countries, which means that Germany has a strong strength in the development of new medical device products.
In Germany, usually a medical device product must be updated after 3 years. Germany is an innovation center for medical technology in Europe. It is worth mentioning that the German medical device industry spends 8% of its sales profits on research and development, which is twice as high as the average in Western countries. As we all know, each country needs different German medical devices. For example, the United States prefers German X-rays, MRI machines and endoscopes, because they value German quality more. Poland and other countries especially welcome German pacemakers, dialysis machines and MRI machines, because German equipment has the highest standards.
Most of the products of the famous Siemens Medical Systems Group in Germany represent the highest level in the world, such as CT machines, MRI machines, angiography equipment, ultrasound scanners, mammography machines, etc. At the production base in Kernert, Germany, a reporter once saw that the factory was fully enclosed and spotless. From manufacturing, assembly to system commissioning, all in one go.
- Netherlands
The Netherlands is recognized as a strong country in medical equipment. Especially the Netherlands has the famous giant Philips. The previous Euro Health Consumer Index (Euro Health Consumer Index 2016) showed that the Netherlands’ medical system has been ranked first in the world for six consecutive years. In terms of rights, treatment outcomes, rational drug use and medical services, the Netherlands topped the list with a total score of 927 (out of 1,000), setting the highest record since the release of the index. As a result, the Netherlands was awarded the title of “The Country with the Best Healthcare System in Europe”. It is worth mentioning that since 2005, the Netherlands has maintained a top three ranking in the European Health Consumer Organization (EHCI) ranking.
The Netherlands is also a hub for life sciences. The Dutch healthcare system is characterized by high quality, high efficiency and orderly management. Innovative, high-quality and efficient healthcare is a testing ground and source of inspiration for the life sciences and health industry.
World-class medical device giants owned by the Netherlands:
Royal Philips of the Netherlands: The world’s leading health technology company, is committed to improving people’s health and improving medical outcomes throughout the entire health care process, from healthy lifestyles and disease prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Relying on advanced technology, rich clinical experience and deep consumer insight, Philips will continue to launch integrated innovative solutions. The company currently holds leadership positions in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring, health informatics, and consumer health and home care.
Nucletron, the Netherlands: the world’s leading market leader in high-precision radiotherapy equipment, software or brachytherapy. Nucletron is the number one medical device supplier to the global brachytherapy market.
- Israel
Israel is a globally recognized medical device powerhouse, even though Israel is a small country with a population of only 8 million. Israel is world-renowned for its strong innovation capabilities and well-developed high-tech industries, including the advanced medical device industry that has a significant global impact. It is worth mentioning that Israel is the second largest supplier of medical devices in the world. There are 750 life science companies in the country, 55% of which are engaged in the R&D and production of medical devices.
The world’s major medical device manufacturers, such as General Electric, Philips, Siemens, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson, etc., have established R&D centers in Israel. Israel ranks first in the world in the number of medical device patents per capita, and ranks seventh in the world in terms of absolute number. Israel’s mature commercial transformation mechanism of scientific research achievements, strong venture capital support, high-quality human resources, well-developed academic institutions, support from the government and related institutions, and extensive international cooperation are important factors for its strong competitiveness in the medical device industry .
Although Israel has a small land area and a small population, its scientific and technological strength cannot be underestimated. Taking the medical device industry as an example, Israel has developed and launched a number of innovative medical device products with international leading level in the past 20 years. Many media in the United States once said that Israel is the “power plant” of global medical device innovation. American medical journals have selected the world’s 10 greatest new products (inventions) in the field of medicine in the past 20 years, of which 3 belong to Israel, namely swallowable capsule gastrointestinal endoscope (PillCam), fingertip Sleep and heart rate monitor (Finger Monitor) and emergency bandage (Emergency Badage).
Only on the road of innovation can Israel’s medical device industry achieve major achievements that attract worldwide attention. According to foreign media reports, there are many international venture capital companies active in Israel. Israel has become a “fertile ground” for the survival and development of start-up technology companies.
- Switzerland
Switzerland is considered to be a country that never lacks aura: the famous permanent neutral country, one of the richest countries in the world, one of the most livable countries in the world, and one of the countries with the longest life expectancy in the world, Switzerland was once known as the The “Holy Land for Anti-aging of the European Royal Family”, especially the nine natural environment indicators such as air and water, once ranked first in the world. It is worth mentioning that Switzerland’s medical technology has always been leading the world.
For example, Switzerland has the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), which is the largest national research institute in Switzerland and a multidisciplinary research center for science and technology. PSI focuses on material structure, energy and environment, and human health. It has many large-scale scientific research equipment, some of which are unique not only in Switzerland, but even in the world.
Another example is GSMN Hospital in Switzerland, which once pioneered the analysis model of “Human Immune System-Carcinogenic Risk” in the world; GSMN Hospital is currently the only hospital in the world that can use IORT – Intraoperative Radiation Therapy.
- UK
The UK is a traditional powerhouse in medical devices. The UK is very innovative in the medical field. There were 79 Nobel Prize winners in medicine from the UK, and half of the top ten in the global pharmaceutical innovation list are from the UK. For example, the UK is at the leading level in the world in joint surface repositioning technology (biological repair including soft tissue, 3D imaging and printing) and medical imaging research. Another example is Sir Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield, an electronic engineer in Nottinghamshire, England, who successfully developed the world’s first CT imaging diagnostic instrument in 1969.
There are many small medical device companies in the UK domestic medical device manufacturing industry, as well as a handful of global manufacturers with significant market presence. Back in 2015, there were around 3,000 medical device manufacturers in the UK.
It is worth mentioning that the strength of British manufacturers lies in orthopedics, but also in imaging, diagnostics and cardiovascular equipment.
The size of the UK’s medical device market is roughly comparable to that of France, and its imports of medical device products are much higher than its exports. The imports mainly come from developed European countries such as the United States, Germany, France, and Spain. The UK is the world’s largest importer of medical devices.
- France
France used to be the second largest medical device market in Europe, accounting for about 16% of the total European market share. France ranks in the second group in all aspects of the global medical device field (for example, the total number of data companies before ranks fourth in the world; the number of companies with more than 250 employees ranks fourth in the world; the annual turnover of enterprises ranks fourth in the world; the employment population ranks fourth in the world 5. R&D investment, the fourth in the world), generally lags behind the United States, Germany and Switzerland, and is comparable to the United Kingdom and Japan.
94% of the companies in the French medical device industry are small and medium-sized enterprises. The advantages of French medical devices include: prosthetics, auxiliary equipment, minimally invasive surgical systems, imaging diagnostic products, in vitro diagnostic products, medical electrical equipment, radiation therapy and diagnostic equipment, anesthesia ventilators, medical information technology, implant materials, medical textiles wait. But overall, the competitiveness of the French medical device industry is not high.
- Sweden
Sweden’s medical inventions are also world-renowned, such as artificial kidneys, transplanted pacemakers and respirators. Swedish medical device manufacturers include: GAMBRO, ELEKTA, NOBEL BIOCARE and SCA MOLNLYCKE, etc. Sweden has world-class universities and scientific research institutions with a large amount of research in the medical field at the world’s leading level, and has high-quality researchers who can cope with world competition. In terms of drug development, Sweden has a world-renowned doctor opinion collection mechanism and a large number of medical databases.
According to previous incomplete statistics, Sweden once had 25% of people receiving education in the tertiary industry. The proportion of the population engaged in research and development in Sweden is 12.3 per thousand, ranking first among EU countries and third in the world, second only to Japan and Switzerland. The workforce is highly qualified and able to use information and information technology effectively. According to the survey, the rate of published papers and research results per capita of Swedish scientific researchers ranks second in the world. According to statistics from the European Union’s statistical department, Sweden is the country with the largest number of patent applications to the European Patent Office except Germany. Moreover, Sweden is also the country that publishes the most scientific and technological articles in the OECD.
It is worth mentioning that in the field of medical equipment, Sweden used to have about 900 medical equipment companies. For example, famous companies including PHILIPS, GENERAL ELECTRIC, ABBOTT, HEWLETT-PACKARD, MEDTRONIC, SIEMENS-ELEMA, SUNSTAR, etc. have established companies in Sweden. .
- Italy
Italian medical device market sales rank fourth in the EU. Italy has a relatively complete medical device industry, and its export value is much higher than its import value. Italy and Germany are listed as the two largest exporters of medical devices in Europe. According to relevant data, there are a total of nearly 4,000 companies in the Italian medical device industry, with more than 76,000 practitioners.
It is worth noting that the number of women and high-quality research personnel in the medical device industry is much higher than the national average. my country used to import medical devices from Italy mainly in the form of disposable consumables (other syringes, needles, catheters, etc.), color Doppler ultrasound, other artificial human body parts, medical X-ray application equipment, and kidney dialysis equipment.