Biomedical materials have become the foundation of the medical device industry, with their products accounting for approximately 40% of the medical device market. According to data released by global market research firm MarketsAndMarkets, the global biomaterial market size was $105.18 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to $206.64 billion by 2024.
At present, China has taken the lead in the mid to low end biomedical material market. For example, polyolefin, as the most widely used type of medical plastic, is often used in fields such as medical catheters, infusion containers, packaging materials, and syringes. In the polyolefin material market, Chinese enterprises dominate the mainstream. Among them, the medical polyolefin developed and produced by LZSH has a market share of 70% in domestic infusion bottles, disposable bags, and other fields.
However, China relies heavily on imports in the high-end market, is extremely passive, and there is a risk of getting stuck. For example, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a high-end medical implant material that has been widely used in plastic surgery, orthopedics, cardiovascular and other fields. As of now, PEEK materials have been introduced into China for nearly 20 years, but the implanted PEEK materials used by Chinese medical device enterprises for a long time are still imported.
From a global perspective, the biomedical material market is highly monopolized by developed countries. The top 30 companies in the global biomedical materials market, including Johnson&Johnson, Medtronic、Zimmer Biomet、Stryker、BRAVAT、Cook Medical, have a market share of over 70%.
In response to this situation, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Food and Drug Administration jointly launched the task of unveiling and leading the innovation of biomedical materials, supporting the research and application of biomedical materials from multiple dimensions such as policy, financing, and commercialization.
Recently, the "Biomedical Materials Innovation Task Listing and Leading (First Batch) shortlisted units" have been announced, including national research institutes such as Sinopec, PetroChina, XB Nonferrous Metals Research Institute, GZ Titanium Metals, ZGYY, etc; There are also universities and hospitals such as Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing University of Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Peking University Stomatological Hospital, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Youjiang Ethnic Medicine College Affiliated Hospital, etc; There are also 74 innovative companies, including DB Medical, CL Medical, WK Medical, AMT, BYMT, etc.
The 74 companies on the list have strong technological innovation capabilities and will focus on the research and production of the following three major categories of medical materials.
Medical polymer materials
Including polyurethane, medical polyether ether ketone (PEEK), medical grade high molecular weight poly (L-lactide caprolactone) (PLCL), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, etc. These polymer materials are mainly used in the production of medical devices such as artificial blood vessels, covered stents, artificial joints, intervertebral fusion cages, absorbable sutures, balloon catheters, blood dialyzers, extracorporeal membrane oxygenators, etc.
PLCL is a polymer material with good biodegradability and biocompatibility, which has important applications in fields such as cardiovascular stents, artificial joints, intervertebral fusion cages, heart valves, medical aesthetics, wound repair, patches, and nerve repair. However, currently, China's medical grade high molecular weight PLCL mainly relies on imports.
Medical metal materials
Including titanium, nickel, platinum, magnesium and other metal materials, such as ultra-thin titanium, ultrafine titanium wire, nickel titanium alloy pipes, etc. In terms of application, medical equipment products such as cardiac pacemakers, heart valves, nerve stimulators, neurovascular guides, vascular stents, artificial joints, and orthopedic implants all require the use of medical metal materials.
For example, degradable magnesium alloy, as an emerging metal material with good biocompatibility, strong degradability, light weight, high strength, and good plasticity, is currently a hot topic in the application of medical devices such as cardiovascular stents and orthopedic implants.
Inorganic non-metallic materials
Contains materials such as biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics, denture microcrystalline glass, zirconia composite alumina, and bioglass for regeneration and repair. Data shows that inorganic non-metallic materials are mainly used in the production of biomimetic composite bone scaffolds, dentures, bone defect filling and repair materials and other medical devices. BCP ceramics are widely used in fields such as oral implants, bone scaffold materials, and drug sustained-release carriers.