Summary of Research Findings

This survey targets to 32 items (54 categories) out of all biomedical instruments at hospitals, general clinics, etc., that are used for treatment/therapy.
In fiscal 2022, demand for products whose demand was expanded by subsidies related to the prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus continued to grow from the previous year, while many other products showed reactionary decline. Meanwhile, although there were some products that enjoyed new sales demand or replacement demand, led by the improvement in hospital balance due to the recovery in the number of surgeries stemming from the situation where people no longer refrain from visiting medical institutions, other products remained sluggish even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the circumstances, we estimated that the market of biomedical instruments for treatment/therapy in FY2022 to attain 179,676 million yen, up by 1.9% from the previous fiscal year.

Noteworthy Topics

Changing Landscape of Biomedical Instruments for Treatment/Therapy

The market of biomedical instruments for treatment/therapy is affected by fundamental industry factors (the number of surgeries/various medical procedures, the revision of medical fees, etc.), regulatory and legal factors (cancer control programs, Community Medical Partnership System, tax hike, etc.), and specific factors like the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As to FY2022, the largest impact on the market was COVID-19. In a positive sense, it facilitated purchases of treatment/therapeutic biomedical instruments with subsidies/grants that are related to infection prevention. In a negative sense, it decreased the number of surgeries due to decline in the total number of people visiting hospitals. Additionally, the market was affected by soaring production cost due to global upsurge in the price of raw materials and transportation, production delays caused by semiconductor shortage, and price hike in imported products due to depreciation of yen. In FY2023, it was said that the annual cost at large-scale hospitals rose by 200 to 500 million yen, due to the end of COVID subsidies and soaring electric bills. Furthermore, hospital’s balance of payments may be impacted by the revised Medical Care Act, which will enter into force in 2024, and which will implement workstyle reform of health professionals. At the same time, the weak yen is expected to continue.

Even though the business environment is intense, the market of biomedical instruments for treatment/therapy in FY2023 is expected to expand. With a recovery in the demand for replacement that had been stalled during the pandemic, the end of chip shortages, and the containment of logistical problems, the market is projected to reach 193,509 million yen for FY2023, up by 7.7% from the previous fiscal year.

Research Outline