In the past five years, the import and export prices of the contrast agent industry have shown a downward trend
1. Overview and prospects of the development of the contrast agent industry
Contrast media, also known as contrast media, are commonly used during medical imaging to increase the contrast of a subject's images so that different organs, cell tissue types, or body cavities can be seen more clearly. According to the principle of contrast, the mainstream contrast agents are mainly divided into: X-ray CT contrast agents, magnetic resonance contrast agents and ultrasound contrast agents. The principle of X-ray CT contrast agent is that when X-ray contrast is used, the contrast agent and organs and tissues have different degrees of absorption of X-rays, so as to produce image contrast, X-ray contrast agents can be divided into two categories: medical barium sulfate and iodine contrast agents, the former is mainly used for gastrointestinal imaging, and the latter can be used for the imaging of the nervous system, cardiovascular system, chest, abdomen, pelvic system, bones and joints, etc., and the contrast agent currently used for X-ray is mostly iodine-containing contrast agent. The principle of magnetic resonance contrast is to obtain scanned images based on the intensity of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal of water particles in human tissues. The principle of ultrasound contrast agent is that when using contrast-enhanced ultrasound, microbubbles and other substances are added to enhance the scattering of blood, thereby producing imaging enhancement.
X-ray contrast agents are still the dominant part of the global contrast media market, including enhanced CT and angiography, both of which may use iodine contrast agents. Taking CT contrast scan as an example, an iodine-containing contrast agent is injected intravenously, and the contrast agent will clearly show the blood flow and lesions of the tissue under the CT image along with the blood circulation, so as to help distinguish the benign and malignant nature of the disease, and also improve the qualitative ability of the lesion. In patients with a malignancy, CT scan with contrast can also improve the accuracy of the tumor's staging or determine the likelihood of surgical resection of the tumour.
For a long time, the consumer market of contrast agents has been mainly concentrated in developed countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan, and with the popularity of X-ray and CT imaging, X-ray CT contrast agents have become the main products of contrast agents. Iodine contrast agent is the main category of X-ray CT contrast agent, with a market size of about 80%, and from the perspective of subdivided categories, iohexol, iodoparol, iodixanol, iopromide and iodophorol are the main products of iodophonol. With the increasing number of CT examinations across the globe and the rapid growth of the global population of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, the global contrast media market size will continue to grow.
As an emerging market, with the improvement of living standards brought about by domestic economic development, the aging of the population and the increasing importance of health, the domestic demand for the diagnosis of tumors, cardiovascular diseases and nervous system diseases has increased steadily, and the scale of the domestic contrast agent market has also continued to grow. At the same time, domestic substitution and product upgrading will also be the future development trend of the domestic contrast agent market.
For the market of emerging countries led by China, the rapid economic growth, the gradual improvement of medical facilities, and the gradual increase in people's diagnostic needs, the rapid expansion of the market, and the growth rate is higher than that of developed countries.
With the improvement of living standards brought about by domestic economic development, the aging of the population and the increasing emphasis on health, the demand for diagnosis of tumors, cardiovascular diseases and neurological diseases in China has steadily increased. At the same time, from the perspective of per capita consumption of iodine contrast agent, there is a large gap between China and Europe and the United States, and the gap between the per capita consumption and the United States is nearly 7 times, and there is also a gap of about 2 times compared with Europe, and the growth potential of the domestic contrast agent market in the future is still large.
In summary, with the increase in the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases caused by the aging of the population, the increase in the demand for diagnostic and interventional radiology, the expansion of contrast agent indications, the rapid growth of medical imaging in emerging markets such as China and India, and the continuous expansion of the contrast agent market at home and abroad, the market demand for contrast agent APIs has grown rapidly.
2. Import and export of the industry
Overall, the import volume of the industry has shown a slight upward trend in the past five years; Imports and exports** showed a slight downward trend.
Analysis of the import and export volume of the contrast agent industry from 2019 to 2023
Analysis of the import and export value of the contrast agent industry from 2019 to 2023
Analysis of the average import and export price of the contrast agent industry from 2019 to 2023
Note: The above data product names are: X-ray contrast agent; Diagnostic reagents for patients
3. The competitive landscape of the contrast agent industry
Contrast agents belong to subdivided pharmaceutical varieties, and the industry has high financial and technical barriers, so the industry concentration is high. At present, the global contrast agent market has been in a steady development stage, and GE Healthcare of the United States, Bayer of Germany and Bracco of Italy are the three leading international contrast agent companies. The contrast agent market in the domestic market is growing rapidly, and the major manufacturers include GE Healthcare, Hengrui Pharmaceutical, Yangtze River Pharmaceutical, Beilu Pharmaceutical, Stellite, etc. In addition, domestic manufacturers of contrast media APIs include Stellite, Haichang Pharmaceutical, Haizhou Pharmaceutical, Brother Technology, etc., and Stellite has a total production capacity of nearly 1,800 tons in the three varieties of iohexol, iopamol and iodixanol, making it the most important manufacturer of iodine contrast agent APIs in China. Brother Technology currently has an annual production capacity of 400 tons of iohexol, iopamol, iodophorol and iodixanol APIs, and will have a total production capacity of 1,550 tons of iohexol, iopamol, iodixanol, iodophorol, iodopromine and iopromide APIs after the completion and commissioning of the "1,150 tons per year iodocontrast agent API construction project", making it the second largest iodo-contrast API manufacturer in China.
For more industry information, please refer to Pricewater's Strategic Consulting2024-2030 contrast agent industry segment market research and investment feasibility analysis reportAt the same time, PwC Consulting also provides industrial research reports, industrial chain consulting, project feasibility reports, specialized and special new small giant certification, national manufacturing single champion enterprise certification, 14th Five-Year Plan, post-project evaluation report, BP business plan, industrial map, industrial planning, blue IPO fundraising feasibility study, IPO working paper consulting and other services.