Aging Population to Expand European Women's Healthcare Imaging Market

In spite of issues related to reimbursement policies, high prices, and intensified competition, the European women's healthcare imaging markets are seeing growth. The twin drivers of a rapidly aging population and replacement demand are supporting market expansion. However, sustained market growth will be dependent on introducing innovative offerings and bundling of products.

Frost & Sullivan (Palo Alto, CA, USA), an international constancy company, found that the European women's healthcare imaging market (including mammography systems and bone densitometry systems) earned revenues of US$455.0 million in 2006 and estimates this to reach $647.1 million in 2013.

"Rapid market growth is occurring because of the increasing population of the elderly across Europe, even as replacement-driven demand is projected to increase in the near future,” noted Frost & Sullivan research analyst, B. Divya. "The entry of new and innovative technologies will also promote market expansion in the near term.”

At present, the promising mammography systems market is in the growth stage of the product life cycle. Revenue increases in this segment is being driven primarily due to the announcement of the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) results and the resultant digital transition across Europe. Simultaneously, bone densitometry systems market will experience low but stable revenue growth. DMIST is a research study sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, MD, USA).

However, the high costs of digital mammography systems and axial dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) bone densitometry systems will discourage market expansion. At the same time, the high costs of screening in the bone densitometry systems and intense competition in the mammography systems market will also deter market growth. Such challenges will be exacerbated by varied country-specific reimbursement regulations.

"As the bone densitometry market in Europe is mature, low and/or non-existent reimbursement will have a greater effect,” cautioned Ms. Divya. "Also, due to the increased costs of adopting digital technology including the purchase of computed-aided display [CAD], picture archiving communications system [PACS] systems in the mammography systems market might prove to be a constraint initially, but in the long-term, will reflect the inevitable transition to digital.”

To successfully enter local markets, industry participants should acquire or establish strategic alliances with smaller firms, according to Frost & Sullivan. They should also introduce financing and easy leasing alternative to facilitate equipment purchases.




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