The opportunities and challenges of ophthalmology industry
Initiated by Shanghai Haohai Biological Technology Co. Ltd., “2016 Summit Forum of National Ophthalmology Industry” was held with the support of Shanghai Promotion Center of Innovation of Medical Absorbable Biomaterial, Shanghai Strategic Alliance for Innovation of Medical Absorbable Biomaterial, Shanghai Engineering Technology Research Center of Innovation of Medical Absorbable Biomaterial, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of China Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Center of Biomedicine Development on March 19th.
The forum gathered tens of domestic authoritative academicians from the ophthalmology circles, top-level experts of ophthalmology, think tank of governments and enterprise representatives, etc., who shared and discussed opportunities, challenges and countermeasures of the development of ophthalmology industry in China, as well as latest diagnosis methods and technologies in the ophthalmology field. Clinical experts of the ophthalmology field thought that the demand of clinical treatment of eye diseases was huge in China. At present, cataract, myopia, xerophthalmia and glaucoma have become major diseases which affect the vision health of Chinese people. According to statistics, there are approx. 4 million glaucoma patients, 0.223 billion xerophthalmia patients and nearly 0.4 billion myopic people in China. Besides, there are 0.168 billion potential cataract patients from 60 to 89 years old.
With the continuous growth of ophthalmology treatment demands, people are paying more and more attention to domestic ophthalmology industry. Chen Kaixian, member of the National Committee of CPPCC, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, chairman of Shanghai Association for Science and Technology and researcher of Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of China Academy of Sciences, pointed out in his speech that the current pharmaceutical industry in China had experienced a huge change under the policy background of “public business starting and people innovation” encouraged by national government to promote the innovation of supply actively with the promotion of many clinical experts. “However, the current development of the Chinese ophthalmology industry is still facing many problems and challenges,” said academician Chen Kaixian.
As an enterprise representative, Wu Jianying, Executive Director & General Manager of Haohai Biological Technology, also noticed that products of local technology companies failed to meet the increasing clinical treatment demands of ophthalmology. Currently, most first-tier products used in ophthalmic disease treatment are imported products, while some domestic medicines are in low price, which is more distinct in high end ophthalmic medicine, equipments and consumables.
“For example, cataract is the major reason for blindness in our country, while domestic intraocular lens fail to meet the huge demand in quantity,” said Lu Yi, Director of Otorhinolaryngology Hospital Attached to Fudan University. According to the introduction of Wu Mingxing, Director of Ophthalmic Hospital Attached to Zhongshan University, Abbott, Alcon, Carl Zeiss, Baushe & Lomb and other foreign brands were still major suppliers in cataract treatment products in China, while Henan Universe, Suzhou 66VT and other domestic brands had no place in middle to high end markets.
Besides, the treatment of myopia, glaucoma, xerophthalmia and other ophthalmic diseases is also rigged by imported products. Sun Xinghuai, President of Otorhinolaryngology Hospital Attached to Fudan University, even said that patients asked for imported products actively in clinical treatment.
Furthermore, local ophthalmology industry is relatively laggard because of the monopoly of imported products, which exposes patients of cataract, glaucoma and other ophthalmic diseases to certain economic pressure and treatment risks. Xu Jianjiang, Director of Otorhinolaryngology Hospital Attached to Fudan University, pointed out that the surgery rate of cataract, glaucoma and other major ophthalmic diseases in our country was lower than not only developed countries but also Vietnam, India and other developing countries.
Besides low industrial concentration, fierce homogeneous competition among small enterprises, lack of leading enterprises and brand competitiveness in domestic ophthalmology industry mentioned by Wu Jianying, Tian Baoguo, Deputy Director of Social Development Science & Technology Department of Ministry of Science and Technology, also pointed out that the “industry-university-research cooperation” of the ophthalmology field was short of interactions with low local R&D investment, which went against the improvement of national ophthalmic technology and the sustainable development of the industry.
According to the introduction of Du Guanhua, President of Chinese Pharmacological Society and researcher of Institute of Materia Medica of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the research and development of the ophthalmology field had not been brought into key national projects. He thought that the government and scientific research institutions should pay more attention to the innovation, research and development of the ophthalmology field in the future.
Although the domestic the ophthalmology industry is facing many problems and challenges, experts who attended the forum also saw development opportunities of the ophthalmology industry. Chen Jianyu, member of the standing committee of Songjiang District, Shanghai and Deputy Head of the People’s Government of SongJiang District, said that national policies were leading and promoting the localization progress of medical products so that enterprises which focused on innovation, research and development would face great opportunities. Wu Jianying pointed out according to the practical experience of Haohai Biological Technology that local enterprises could realize the introduction of technologies and products through overseas M&A since national policies would provide more support to industrial M&A and recombination, meanwhile investment conditions and environments were basically mature.
Then, how can domestic ophthalmology industry break through in such a complicated development environment? “At present, domestic ophthalmology industry have to make more efforts in systematic cooperation among ‘production, study, scientific research and practical application’ if it wants to break through,” which was the consensus reached by domestic authoritative academicians from the ophthalmology circles, top-level experts of ophthalmology, think tank of governments and enterprise representatives in the discussion of the development of ophthalmology industry in China.
Professor Qu Jia, President of Ophthalmology Hospital Attached to Wenzhou Medical University, pointed out that top level design must be done during the localization process of intraocular lens so that we could produce high end products for Chinese people through systematic cooperation among “production, study, scientific research and practical application”. Professor Liu Yizhi, President of Ophthalmology Hospital Attached to Zhongshan University pointed out that domestic medical insurance policy should be further reformed, such as remunerating domestic products with high cost performance like in India, to save more money for people and benefit more people who needed medical insurance.
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