Quarterly Japanese Cath Lab Marketrack Update: Trends in Interventional Cardiology Devices

Millennium Research Group, the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, reports increasing DES usage with stagnating revenues due to continued JMHLW reimbursement cuts.

(PRWEB) August 28, 2006 -- Waltham, Massachusetts—Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, published Marketrack data showing steady Q2 over Q1 unit usage growth of the Japanese interventional cardiology (IC) device market. The main driver of the IC market in Japan is the growing aging population. The increased incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) amongst this demographic has led to greater uptake of both bare-metal stents (BMS) and drug-eluting stents (DES).

While data show that overall IC device revenues in Japan have declined roughly 4% from Q1 to Q2 2006, unit sales have increased by approximately 1%. IC device revenues are declining due to reimbursement cuts made by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (JMHLW), declining BMS usage, as well as the decrease in repeat cases due to DES clinical success. Driving unit usage in Japan is further penetration of DES and increased usage of accessory devices associated with the implantation of DES, such as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) balloon and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters. Because of favorable reimbursement as well as Japanese physician interest in the accuracy of lesion sizing and DES deployment, IVUS catheter usage is particularly high in this region. Marketrack revealed unit usage growth of approximately 3% for both DES and PTCA balloon catheters, whereas IVUS catheter usage increased by just over 4.5%.

The market for IC devices in Japan is expected to experience deeper DES penetration, currently at just under 70%, with the introduction of Boston Scientific’s Taxus DES in mid-2007. Demand from both patients and physicians for percutaneous coronary interventional (PCI) treatment for CAD as a noninvasive alternative to bypass surgery is forecast to increase because of the long-term clinical success associated with DES usage. Increased demand, expansion of the eligible patient population for PCI (due to capability of DES to treat more complex cases), as well as declining DES unit prices are all factors that will drive DES penetration towards 100%, increasing overall unit usage as well as revenues in the Japanese market for IC devices.

About Japanese Cath Lab Marketrack
MRG’s Japanese Marketrack project surveys more than 90 cardiac catheterization labs in Japan on a monthly basis, collecting data on IC device usage. Leading competitors in this market include Cordis, Boston Scientific, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, Terumo, and Goodman. The survey sample is geographically segmented and comprises both public and private hospitals in an effort to reflect Japanese IC device usage most accurately.

About Drug-Eluting Stents
DES are a type of stent built on the same platform as their predecessor BMS. DES are coated with proprietary drugs that have been clinically proven to reduce the rate of restenosis (a situation where the artery is blocked again), an occurrence commonly associated with BMS.

About Millennium Research Group
Millennium Research Group (www.MRG.net), a Decision Resources, Inc. company (www.DecisionResources.com), is a leading provider of strategic information to the health care sector. Focused solely on the medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, the company provides its clients with the benefits of its specialized industry expertise through published reports and customized consulting services.

All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Rena Manglal-Lan
Millennium Research Group
416-364-7776 x145

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