Market Supported by Strong Growth in Brazil, India and China, as Well as the Increased Adoption of Premium-Priced Devices, According to Millennium Research Group

December 27, 2011—Toronto—According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, steady growth in knee and hip arthroplasty volumes and expanding small-joint arthroplasty volumes worldwide will fuel the use of bone cement and accessories used in these procedures, leading to an annual market growth of nearly six percent per year to a global total of $700 million by 2016. The markets in Brazil, India and China will grow particularly rapidly, averaging nearly 19 percent per year. Growing adoption of premium-priced devices such as antibiotic bone cement, cement gun cartridges and enclosed vacuum mixing systems will also help support average selling prices against downward pressures from decreasing reimbursements.

The Brazil, India and China markets will see strong arthroplasty procedure growth as rising incomes expand the number of people able to afford private health insurance. Knee procedures will grow at an annual average of nearly 23 percent, while small joint procedures will see nearly 18 percent average growth every year. Average selling prices for bone cement and accessories however, tend to be lower in the Brazil, India and China due to greater cost constraints, particularly in public hospitals. The high growth rates will more than make up for these lower prices however, and the overall market for Brazil, India and China will reach over $100 million by 2016 and continue to grow thereafter.

Premium-priced antibiotic bone cement has been growing more rapidly than the less-expensive nonantibiotic alternative because in many cases it is premixed, making it easier to deploy. It also reduces the prevalence of postsurgical infection, a key surgeon concern when performing any arthroplasty procedure.

Cement gun cartridges and vacuum mixing systems represent another growing premium-priced segment. Cement gun cartridges, with their ability to deliver cement deep into the femoral canal, are gaining favor among surgeons for use in hip arthroplasty. Vacuum mixers lead to more consistent and less porous bone cement than do manual mixers. However, uptake of vacuum mixers will be slower in Brazil, India and China because of cost consciousness among hospitals. Cost constraints will also slow adoption of these systems in cash-strapped Europe.

“The negative publicity surrounding problems with the metal-on-metal implants used in hip resurfacing procedures has led to a significant drop in this hip procedure,” said MRG Analyst Shane Gagnon. “In place of hip resurfacing, patients are being given total hip arthroplasties. These use more bone cement per procedure, and will further fuel revenue growth in all global cement markets.”

Millennium Research Group’s Global Markets for Bone Cement and Accessories 2012 report includes procedure, unit, average selling price and revenue information, along with market drivers and limiters and competitive landscape for bone cement, cement delivery/mixing systems and cement spacer molds in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, India and China.