Traditional surgical surgery is changing from open to precise, minimally invasive and intelligent.
According to the Prospective Industry Research Institute, the number of minimally invasive surgeries per million people in China and the penetration rate of minimally invasive surgeries have increased from 4248 units and 28.5% in 2015 to 8514 units and 38.1% in 2019. In the future, with the landing of relevant policies, the pursuit of higher medical effects by patients, and the improvement of doctors' awareness and acceptance of minimally invasive surgical procedures, minimally invasive surgical instruments represented by endoscopic surgical operating systems, endoscopic staplers, polymer clips, etc. will usher in a golden period of development.
According to the "2020-2026 China Minimally Invasive Treatment Market Development Scale and Investment Prospect Trend Report", the market size of minimally invasive medical surgical instruments in mainland China has increased from 9.6 billion yuan in 2015 to 18.5 billion yuan in 2019. Since 2015, the compound annual growth rate of the mainland minimally invasive medical surgical device market size has been 14.02%, and it is expected that by 2025, the market size of minimally invasive medical surgical instruments in mainland China will grow to more than 50 billion yuan.
With the trend of disposable use of consumables and the increase in the penetration rate of minimally invasive surgical methods, many innovative minimally invasive surgical instruments and consumables led by domestic enterprises have emerged in large quantities, and the market of minimally invasive medical surgical instruments and consumables has shown great potential for development and broad prospects.
Interme (Wuhan) Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Interme") is a high-tech enterprise that Arterial Network recently learned about, focusing on the innovative research and development, manufacturing and sales of the whole product line of minimally invasive surgical high-end instruments. By integrating the clinical expert resources of minimally invasive surgery, combined with cutting-edge industrial design and precision manufacturing, Intermu Medical is committed to developing innovative high-end instrument products for minimally invasive surgery, creating an Intermu model of optimizing commonly used instruments for minimally invasive surgery and breakthroughs in innovative instruments, so as to achieve domestic surpassing of high-end medical devices in minimally invasive surgery.
It is reported that since its inception, Intermu Medical has developed a series of more than 30 products covering 8 modules including the establishment, separation, cutting, suturing, ligation, high-frequency electrocoagulation (cutting), anastomosis and closure of the surgical channel in endoscopic surgery.
Core R&D capabilities,
Implement a multi-product line layout
Small wounds, low pain, low risk of infection, and shorter hospitalization and recovery times are the advantages of minimally invasive surgery. Because of this, minimally invasive surgery has always been one of the most valued subdivisions for device manufacturers and investment institutions.
Interm has a deep understanding of minimally invasive surgery and minimally non-invasive production, research and marketing. The director of enterprise R&D is a master's degree graduate of Huazhong University of Science and Technology majoring in biochemical engineering, leading the design and development of more than 30 medical device products, with rich experience in medical device registration and approval, strong registration scheme design ability and product approval ability, and he is proficient in medical device research and development production regulations and standards and risk management.
Zheng Bo, the general manager of the enterprise, holds a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and an EMBA from Guanghua School of Management, Peking University. He has served in the sales department and marketing department of South China sales manager, regional manager, market development manager and other sales department and marketing department positions in many foreign companies, and has deep experience in team management and teaching.
The production management director of the company responsible for production process development and production management is a master's degree in economics from Nagoya University in Japan, and has served in large Taiwan manufacturing companies, state-owned enterprise trading companies, and Toyota Motor Affiliated Trading Company in Japan. He is proficient in industrial design and machining, and founded Nippon Wakata Corporation to develop precision molds and high-end tools.
With the professional advantages of the founding team, Interme has laid out a series of products including endoscopic surgical operating instruments, endoscopic linear cutting staplers, suture instruments, continuous application clamps and polymer clamps, fascia closures and so on. Among them, the split type ultra-minimally invasive thoracic laparoscopic surgical instruments, the integrated steerable endoscopic stapler, the endoscopic automatic suture, the automatic continuous hair polymer vascular clamp, and the flying wing grasp type fascia closure device are the first or first imitation in China.
Some of Interme's products
Thoracic laparoscopy achieves the world's thinnest operating rod,
Ultra-minimally invasive technology continues to make breakthroughs
It is understood that the split ultra-minimally invasive thoracic laparoscopic surgical instrument independently developed by Interme has achieved the world's finest operating rod, with a diameter of only 2.9mm. For the first time, the laparoscopic surgical instruments do not need Troca (puncture device), direct percutaneous puncture, postoperative puncture holes do not need to be sutured, and there is no trace after healing.
In addition, the product breakthrough realization of a set of operating handles and tissue scissors, non-damage gripping forceps, puncture needles, Maryland separation forceps, right angle separation forceps, tissue hooks, grippers, clamping forceps and other operating heads free adaptation, intraoperative rapid replacement to adapt to different surgical needs. Enable physicians to quickly complete intraoperative grasping, separation, shearing, hemostasis, suture (anastomotic) and ligation, reducing the risk of infection and injury while reducing medical costs.
Among them, the tissue shear design, Interum strives to be sharp, the wound surface is flat, and there is no tissue or capillary tearing phenomenon. The damage-free gripping forceps are specially designed with a silicone structural layer that reduces the pressure on human tissues and ensures the stability of grip while achieving damage-free protection of tissues or organs.
Split minimally invasive thoracic laparoscopic surgical instrument
Zheng Bo told Arterial Network: "We not only hope to achieve domestic substitution, but also strive to achieve domestic transcendence. This is a product we have developed ourselves, through a year of promotion and exploration, the product has been from the beginning of the incomprehensible, to now many clinical experts recognized, to achieve ultra-minimally invasive, more beautiful, more convenient utility. In the future, we will continue to promote the research and development of the 'ultra-minimally invasive full product chain' with experts." Including 3mm adjustable operating instruments, bendable operating instruments, single-hole punctures, robotic devices and other minimally invasive instruments. We hope to reconstruct the clinical surgery value chain, lead the concept of micro-non-invasive in China, and become an integral part of the complete solution of clinical surgery. ”
It is reported that Intelm uses micro-nano precision manufacturing technology and combines more than 20 nano-scale processes at the same time. In terms of material technology, it adopts superelastic, ultra-dense implantable grade medical materials, and compounds more than 10 kinds of polymers. Among them, the thermoset materials used by enterprises can manufacture high-strength, wear-resistant bearing parts, which can be applied to minimally invasive surgical instruments to improve the operational stability of the instruments, while ensuring that the surgical instruments maintain the quality and rigidity and elasticity of the instruments in a complex in vivo environment, which is more in line with the clinicians' habits and enhances the surgical effect.
The world's first myocardial rotary incision system,
Minimally invasive alternatives to open surgery are realized
In the field of cardiac surgery, Intermut and Huazhong University of Science and Technology jointly developed a minimally invasive treatment system for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. After several process improvements, technical research, in vitro pig heart simulation, and experimental pig in vivo experimental testing. The final version of this prototype of this product that has undergone 3 years and 7 iterations has been finalized.
In August 2019, this minimally invasive myocardial rotary resection system, which includes new surgical procedures and instruments, was supported by the "Digital Diagnosis and Treatment Special Research and Development Project" of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China. Following the approval of the clinical trial ethics, the product has now completed the world's first trans-apical minimally invasive ventricular septal myocardial resection.
This system includes myocardial rotation and clinical devices, both of which are the first in the world, and have obtained 12 patents, including international PCT and national invention patents, and related research results have also published SCI papers, which are expected to be gradually promoted in the clinic in the future.
Not only that, Intermu has also actively participated in the pilot reform of medical device regulations and other work, and completed the successful registration of the first pilot product of the medical device registrant system in Hubei Province. Since its inception, the company has successively won the honorary titles of "Little Giant of Scientific and Technological Innovation", "Optics Valley Gazelle" and high-tech enterprises step by step.
Minimally invasive surgery industry, how to iterate in the future?
With the improvement of the penetration rate of minimally invasive surgical surgery, the continuous development of minimally invasive surgical instruments such as endoscopic surgical operating system, ultrasound knife, disposable puncture device, polymer clip, etc., the industry will usher in a golden period of development.
In this regard, Zheng Bo said: "Last year was the 30th anniversary of the development of Chinese endoscopic surgery. Endoscopic surgery has undergone the development from scratch, from good to good, from good to fine. In the face of laparoscopic surgery, which has entered the high platform period at the technical level, the emerging technology is gradually becoming 'traditional surgery', and the development of minimally invasive surgery requires technological and instrument innovation. The innovation of surgical instruments will surely lead to surgical innovation.
On the one hand, the pursuit of smaller trauma and better cosmetic results, 'minimally non-invasive' is the direction of minimally invasive surgery is changing and developing; on the other hand, the development of minimally invasive surgery in the mainland is still uneven, and the proportion of minimally invasive surgery in second- and third-tier cities is still low. In the context of graded diagnosis and treatment, the grassroots level is the future direction under some non-complex and difficult surgeries. However, how to make surgery simpler and shorten the learning curve of doctors for minimally invasive surgery will determine the popularity and development of minimally invasive surgery in Primary Care in China. ”
In the future, Interme will build a platform enterprise that combines medicine and labor, deeply cultivates the field of high-end instruments of minimally invasive surgery, and leads the development of comprehensive solutions for "minimally non-invasive" surgery, Intermu plans to develop specialized high-end instruments including robotic instruments, single-hole piercing devices, 3mm adjustable bending operating instruments, endoscopic sutures, percutaneous surgical instruments, absorbable implantable instruments and other specialized high-end instruments to solve clinical pain points, meet the surgical needs of minimally invasive doctors, help doctors implement minimally invasive surgery more efficiently, and help patients recover health faster.