Market Overview

In this survey, the “catheters, tubes, and interventional radiology (IVR) products” refer to single-use medical devices used for diagnosis or medical treatment at hospitals/clinics, clinical laboratories, and other healthcare facilities. The domestic market for medical equipment, including catheters, tubes, and IVR products, has remained stable or expanded slightly. This resilience comes despite a revised medical service fee system that caused market shrinkage for many specific products.

While some product categories have undergone repeated revisions in the reimbursement prices of specified medical devices, overall market growth has been supported by other segments, such as catheters for pulse field ablation (PFA), which have been newly approved for coverage under the national health insurance system. In addition, the introduction of new products, including drug-coated balloons (DCBs), is contributing to market expansion by enabling new treatment options and encouraging market entry.

The FY2024 market size suggests that the medical device industry has largely recovered to pre‑COVID‑19 levels; however, some product segments continue to be affected by supply shortages and logistics disruptions. At the same time, a weak currency, rising material costs, and increasing logistics expenses have driven up manufacturing costs, prompting suppliers to raise prices—particularly for single‑use medical devices.

Under the circumstances, the domestic market size of the catheters, tubes, and interventional radiology (IVR) products (52 segments) is estimated at 410,885 million yen in FY2024, marking 3.2% year-over-year growth. The market is expected to reach 432,965 million yen by FY2025, representing a 5.4% increase from the previous year.

Noteworthy Topics

Catheter Ablation Segment

In FY2024, there were 122,190 catheter ablation procedures (transcatheter myocardial ablation) performed domestically for arrhythmias, of which 89,185 were for atrial fibrillation (AF). As the number of patients with persistent or paroxysmal AF continues to increase, the volume of myocardial ablation procedures—particularly cryoballoon ablation, which is relatively high-cost—is also rising. Demand for specialized catheters for pulsed field ablation (PFA) has grown rapidly since their launch in the latter half of FY2024.

Along with the increasing shipment volume of ablation catheters, related devices such as electrode catheters and steerable sheath introducer kits are also experiencing growth. Given the situation, the domestic market size of ablation catheters is projected to attain 109,130 million yen in FY2024 (representing 3.6% growth from the preceding fiscal year) and 124,200 million yen for FY2025 (13.8%).

Future Outlook

Sales of catheters, tubes, and interventional radiology (IVR) products are becoming increasingly polarized. Some segments have experienced steady growth since FY2002, driven by an aging population and the resulting increase in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using these devices. In contrast, other segments have been adversely affected by revisions to reimbursement rates, including reclassification, category integration, and double-digit price reductions.

Looking ahead, the market is expected to grow at a modest rate of up to around 2%, with stronger growth anticipated in select segments such as premium diagnostic catheters, ablation catheters, and neurovascular catheters. The market size of catheters, tubes, and IVR products is projected to reach 435,685 million yen, representing 6.0% rise from FY2024-level.

Research Outline