【Annual Observation】Six Major Development Trends in the Medical Device Industry in 2025

Six major trends in the development of the medical device industry in 2025.

01 Continuously Growing Market Demand

Aging population drives increased demand: The global aging population trend is intensifying, and the elderly population's demand for medical devices is becoming more widespread. This includes home devices such as blood glucose meters, sphygmomanometers, and electrocardiographs used for chronic disease monitoring, as well as devices used for rehabilitation therapy. According to statistics, the proportion of people aged 65 and above in China in 2023 has exceeded 15%, and it is estimated that by the end of 2024, the population aged 65 and above will exceed 220 million, accounting for more than 16%, providing broad development space for the medical device market. Increasing number of chronic disease patients: Changes in lifestyle have led to a rise in the incidence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. Patients require long-term monitoring and treatment, which will increase the demand for related medical devices such as cardiac stents, insulin pumps, and respiratory therapy equipment. Increased health awareness: As people pay more attention to health, the focus on disease prevention and early diagnosis is also increasing. The demand for medical devices in health examination centers and primary medical institutions will continue to expand, such as ultrasound equipment, X-ray machines, CT and other imaging equipment used for physical examinations, and in-vitro diagnostic reagents and equipment used for disease screening.

02 High-end and Intelligent Development

Wide application of artificial intelligence and machine learning: The application of artificial intelligence in medical devices will continue to deepen. For example, in medical image diagnosis, AI-assisted diagnostic systems can quickly and accurately analyze large amounts of image data, helping doctors improve diagnostic efficiency and accuracy and reduce misdiagnosis rates. In intelligent health monitoring devices, personalized health advice and warnings are provided through analysis of users' health data. Combination of the Internet of Things and telemedicine: IoT technology enables medical devices to achieve remote connection and data transmission. Doctors can remotely monitor patients' health conditions and achieve remote diagnosis and treatment. For example, some wearable devices can collect patients' physiological data in real time and transmit it to the hospital's telemedicine platform, allowing doctors to understand changes in patients' condition promptly. Robot-assisted surgery becomes a trend: Surgical robots have advantages such as high precision, high stability, and minimally invasive features, which can improve the success rate of surgery and patients' recovery speed. In the future, the application scope of surgical robots will continue to expand, from the current general surgery, urology, etc., to more departments, and the technology of surgical robots will also continue to be upgraded, becoming more intelligent and convenient. Application of new materials and new processes: The application of new materials such as biodegradable materials and nanomaterials in medical devices will continue to increase. These materials have better biocompatibility and performance, which can improve the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. At the same time, new processes such as 3D printing technology can realize the personalized customization of medical devices to meet the needs of different patients.

03 Accelerated Domestic Substitution

Policy support: The country's support for the medical device industry continues to increase, and a series of policies have been introduced to encourage the research and development and production of domestic medical devices and to improve the market share of domestic medical devices. For example, policy preferences are given in terms of medical device approval and procurement, supporting domestic enterprises to carry out technological innovation and product upgrades. Technological progress: Domestic medical device companies continue to invest in technological research and development, and their technological level continues to improve. Some products have reached or are close to international advanced levels. For example, in the fields of high-end imaging equipment, cardiovascular interventional devices, and orthopedic implants, domestic enterprises have made significant breakthroughs and have the strength to compete with international brands. Cost advantage: Domestic medical devices have a certain cost advantage, with relatively low prices, meeting the domestic market's demand for cost-effective medical devices. At the same time, as the production scale of domestic enterprises continues to expand, costs will further decrease, and market competitiveness will continue to strengthen.

04 Intensified Industry Integration

Increased mergers and acquisitions: With the intensification of market competition, medical device companies will integrate resources through mergers and acquisitions to expand their scale, improve market concentration, and enhance their competitiveness. Large companies will acquire small and medium-sized enterprises with innovative technologies and products to enrich their product lines and technological reserves; small and medium-sized enterprises will also enhance their capabilities through mergers. Coordinated development of the industrial chain: The industrial chain of the medical device industry is relatively long, including research and development, production, sales, and service links. In the future, enterprises will strengthen cooperation with upstream and downstream enterprises to achieve coordinated development of the industrial chain, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the entire industrial chain. For example, medical device companies establish cooperative relationships with medical institutions and research institutions to jointly conduct product research and development and clinical application research.

05 Increasing Degree of Market Internationalization

Domestic enterprises expand overseas markets: While meeting the needs of the domestic market, domestic medical device companies will actively expand overseas markets. On the one hand, they will improve product awareness and market share by participating in international medical device exhibitions and cooperating with foreign companies; on the other hand, they will better adapt to the needs and regulatory requirements of the international market by establishing R&D centers and production bases overseas. International companies enter the Chinese market: The huge potential of the Chinese medical device market has also attracted the attention of international medical device companies. International companies will increase investment in the Chinese market and enter the Chinese market by cooperating with domestic companies and establishing branches. This will promote competition in the domestic medical device market and encourage domestic companies to continuously improve product quality and service levels.

06 Rise of Home Healthcare and Health Management Market

Popularization of home medical devices: With people's increasing attention to health management and continuous progress in medical technology, the market demand for home medical devices will continue to increase. Home medical devices have advantages such as simple operation and convenience, meeting people's needs for health monitoring and disease treatment at home, such as home blood glucose monitors, sphygmomanometers, oxygen generators, and nebulizers. Integration of health management services: In the future, medical devices will be combined with health management services to form integrated health management solutions. By collecting users' health data through medical devices and combining the analysis and evaluation of the health management platform, personalized health management advice and services will be provided to users, including guidance on diet, exercise, and drug treatment.