According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), electrophysiology catheter ablation is a rapidly growing procedure in China. MRG predicts that the Chinese electrophysiology market will grow approximately 20% in 2013, based on the largest available sampling of ablation procedures.
Following coronary angioplasty, electrophysiology catheter ablation is the second most commonly performed cardiovascular intervention in China. According to the Ministry of Health registry for cardiovascular interventions, 74,400 catheter ablations occurred in mainland China in 2012, but this number excludes procedures at military hospitals. Taking these additional procedures into account, MRG estimates that more than 100,000 EP catheter ablation procedures will be performed in China in 2013.
In contrast to the Chinese market for coronary stents used in coronary angioplasty, where local players dominate, the electrophysiology catheter market is led by multinational manufacturers. Local Chinese companies have approximately 10% of the market, with Microport having the largest share. Among multinational companies, Biosense Webster is leading the market, with St Jude Medical second, and Medtronic third. Boston Scientific announced the acquisition of Bard’s electrophysiology business in June 2013, which will give the company a significant market share and put it on a more equal footing with leading competitors.
“The electrophysiology market in China is the second largest cardiac market in terms of numbers of procedures,” said MRG project analyst Thomas Lee. “Its competitive picture is complex. Six multinationals have positions in this market, along with the local players. We expect that Microport will continue to grow their position in this market, especially when the company introduces their first line of pacemakers into China. We are tracking these procedures in 100 hospitals across 25 provinces. The data we are acquiring will allow us to estimate growth in electrophysiology procedures throughout the calendar year, as well as track device use by brand.”
Despite the speed of this market’s growth, only 24% of these procedures were for atrial fibrillation. This proportion is far less than that in the more mature US and European markets. MRG states that this undertreated population presents a significant market opportunity for device manufacturers, particularly since atrial fibrillation procedures use premium-priced high-end catheters.
These results can be found in a new tracking study from MRG: China Electrophysiology Marketrack. This study fields quarterly to 100 hospitals across 25 provinces and tracks procedure growth, device market size, price per device and brand usage on a quarterly basis.
