European womens imaging market to limp to $460M by 2016
Although most of the European women’s health imaging system market will decline over the next five years, overall revenues will increase slightly as a result of growth in the breast imaging system segment, due to the introduction and adoption of more expensive and innovative systems, according to Millennium Research Group (MRG).
The European economic crisis has seriously affected multiple areas in preventive healthcare, according to MRG. The result will be a general decline over the next two or three years in all areas of women’s health imaging as healthcare budgets are tightened. Users will delay replacement sales for expensive capital equipment, resulting in lower sales and lower prices. The market will recover as the economy does and as facilities make up for delayed acquisition of replacement units.
Breast imaging systems make up more than 50 percent of the overall women’s health imaging system market. Novel diagnostic breast imaging systems with premium prices, such as digital breast tomosynthesis, will see significant growth through 2016, predicted MRG.
In addition, MRG said newer direct radiography (DR) full-field digital mammography (FFDM) systems will continue to increase their share of the mammography segment, from 75 percent of all units sold in 2011 to more than 97 percent by 2016. Because DR FFDM systems provide greater efficiency than CR and film-based mammography, a lower number of digital systems are required to perform the same number of procedures. This will lead to a decline in the overall installed base of mammography systems, as CR FFDM and film-screen mammography systems are replaced.
“The European women’s health imaging system market is dominated by companies that cover multiple segments, such as GE Healthcare, Hologic and Siemens Healthcare,” said MRG Analyst Michelle Chan. “But in some segments, particularly breast imaging and breast imaging CAD, smaller, specialized companies have designed innovative devices or niche software. The trend has been for these companies to partner with or be acquired by larger companies, who then package these products with others and sell them as part of a solution.”
The European economic crisis has seriously affected multiple areas in preventive healthcare, according to MRG. The result will be a general decline over the next two or three years in all areas of women’s health imaging as healthcare budgets are tightened. Users will delay replacement sales for expensive capital equipment, resulting in lower sales and lower prices. The market will recover as the economy does and as facilities make up for delayed acquisition of replacement units.
Breast imaging systems make up more than 50 percent of the overall women’s health imaging system market. Novel diagnostic breast imaging systems with premium prices, such as digital breast tomosynthesis, will see significant growth through 2016, predicted MRG.
In addition, MRG said newer direct radiography (DR) full-field digital mammography (FFDM) systems will continue to increase their share of the mammography segment, from 75 percent of all units sold in 2011 to more than 97 percent by 2016. Because DR FFDM systems provide greater efficiency than CR and film-based mammography, a lower number of digital systems are required to perform the same number of procedures. This will lead to a decline in the overall installed base of mammography systems, as CR FFDM and film-screen mammography systems are replaced.
“The European women’s health imaging system market is dominated by companies that cover multiple segments, such as GE Healthcare, Hologic and Siemens Healthcare,” said MRG Analyst Michelle Chan. “But in some segments, particularly breast imaging and breast imaging CAD, smaller, specialized companies have designed innovative devices or niche software. The trend has been for these companies to partner with or be acquired by larger companies, who then package these products with others and sell them as part of a solution.”