With the effect of air pollution in China, the sales market of medical device in China is changing. The sale of respirators and surgical masks is skyrocketing in China, which has been plagued this year by severe smog incidents in Beijing, Harbin and most recently Shanghai. In December 2013, air pollution levels surpassed World Health Organization standards by more than 40 times in the cities of Hangzhou and Shanghai. In Shanghai, the number of patients admitted to the hospital with respiratory problems increased by 30 percent over the course of just a few days, according to the city’s department of health.
In response, Chinese citizens -- and Westerners living in China -- are buying respirators, air filters and surgical masks in record numbers. In December, sales of medical device in China including surgical masks jumped 350 percent on one Chinese e-commerce website alone. And in November, the US Embassy in Beijing made the unprecedented move of ordering nearly 5,000 medical-grade air filters for its employees to use at home. Increasingly, employers are making bulk purchases of these items and distributing them to their employees.
This new reality in China makes many kinds of medical device in China including pulmonary, cardiovascular and diagnostic devices are likely to see that their sales increase in coming years. Pulmonary products include inhalers, ventilators and oxygen concentrators. Heart valves, on-pump coronary artery bypass (ONCAB) devices, ventricular assist devices (VADs) and endoscopic vessel harvesting (EVH) devices are all cardiovascular devices that should be in higher demand. Diagnostic devices for diseases like lung cancer include bronchoscopes, mediastinoscopes and CT scanners.
From: China Regulatory & Standard Group
