For a long time, the global market of digestive and urinary endoscopes has been dominated by foreign brands, and core technologies such as optical components, imaging systems and minimally invasive instruments have been monopolized by European, American and Japanese enterprises. This not only leads to high prices of endoscopy equipment in China, increasing the burden on medical institutions and patients, but also restricts the independent development of China's medical device industry. In recent years, with the support of national policies and the continuous efforts of domestic enterprises, great breakthroughs have been made in the independent innovation of digestive and urinary endoscopes in China, gradually breaking the monopoly of foreign brands and moving towards the road of localization and high-end.
In the past, the core components of domestic digestive and urinary endoscopes (such as endoscope lenses, image sensors, and minimally invasive operation instruments) mainly relied on imports. Due to the technical blockade of foreign enterprises, domestic enterprises were in a passive position in terms of technology research and development and product upgrading. The price of a set of imported high-end digestive endoscopes was as high as several million yuan, while the price of domestic endoscopes of the same level was only 50%-70% of that of imported products, but the performance and quality were quite different. This made most large hospitals prefer to choose imported equipment, and domestic endoscopes could only occupy the low-end market of primary medical institutions.
In recent years, with the implementation of national policies such as "Made in China 2025" and the increasing investment in medical device R&D by domestic enterprises, the independent innovation capability of domestic digestive and urinary endoscopes has been significantly improved. A number of domestic enterprises have focused on the research and development of core technologies, and have achieved breakthroughs in key fields such as ultra-fine endoscope modules, high-definition imaging systems, and minimally invasive operation instruments. Among them, enterprises such as OFILM and Mindray have launched a series of high-performance domestic endoscopes, which have reached the international advanced level in terms of performance and quality, and have gradually entered large hospitals and even the international market.
The breakthrough of domestic endoscopes is mainly reflected in three aspects. First, the independent research and development of core components. Domestic enterprises have successfully developed high-definition image sensors, ultra-thin optical lenses and other core components, breaking the import monopoly. For example, the 4K ultra-high-definition image sensor independently developed by a domestic enterprise has a resolution of up to 3840×2160, which is comparable to imported products, and the cost is reduced by 30%-40%. Second, the innovation of product design. Combining the clinical needs of Chinese patients, domestic enterprises have developed more humanized products. For example, the ultra-fine endoscope suitable for the narrow lumens of Chinese people, the disposable endoscope that avoids cross-infection, etc., which are more in line with the actual clinical application needs. Third, the improvement of quality control system. Domestic enterprises have established a complete quality control system in accordance with international standards, and the product qualification rate has reached more than 99%, which is comparable to foreign brands.
The localization of digestive and urinary endoscopes has brought significant benefits to medical institutions and patients. On the one hand, the price of domestic endoscopes is lower than that of imported products, which greatly reduces the equipment purchase cost of medical institutions and eases the financial pressure. On the other hand, domestic enterprises have better after-sales service, shorter maintenance cycle and lower maintenance cost, which can better meet the needs of medical institutions. In addition, the localization of endoscopes also promotes the development of the upstream and downstream industrial chains of medical devices in China, driving the development of related industries such as optical components, precision manufacturing and materials.
Although domestic endoscopes have made great progress, there is still a gap compared with foreign high-end brands in terms of core technology, product variety and international influence. For example, in the field of intelligent endoscopes and robot-assisted endoscopes, foreign brands still have obvious advantages; the variety of domestic endoscopes is relatively single, and it is difficult to meet the diverse clinical needs. In the future, domestic enterprises need to further increase investment in R&D, strengthen cooperation with universities and research institutes, accelerate the research and development of high-end products, and improve the international competitiveness of domestic endoscopes. At the same time, the government should further improve the policy support system, optimize the innovation environment, and help domestic medical device enterprises develop better.
