Zhongtian Medical Achieves Breakthrough Growth Through Winning the Jing-Jin-Ji '3+N' Alliance Tender with Premium Neurovascular Products

Recently, the centralized volume-based procurement (VBP) of 28 categories of medical consumables under the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei “3+N” alliance has become a focal point in the industry. On April 19, the Hebei Provincial Center for Centralized Procurement of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices issued the *Notice on Publicizing the Proposed Award Results for the 28 Types of Medical Consumables Included in the Centralized Volume-Based Procurement by the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei “3+N” Alliance*.

This provincial-level alliance procurement involved more than 13 provinces and municipalities, accounting for over 30% of the national market size. Intense bidding competition and a brutal elimination rate have sparked industry-wide discussion.

In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei “3+N” volume-based procurement program covering 28 categories of medical consumables, neurointerventional devices—a high-value consumable segment—have emerged as the most closely watched subsector. Products included in the procurement are intracranial stents, thrombectomy stents, distal access catheters, and long sheaths. Behind the fierce bidding competition lies a reshaping of the industry’s market landscape by volume-based procurement, with intensifying divergence among enterprises. Companies that seize the opportunities presented by volume-based procurement can achieve rapid market access and a significant increase in market share.

Taking the distal access catheter, the most fiercely competitive segment, as an example, there are 57 registration certificates in this category. In Group A, 6 companies participated, with 3 eliminated and 3 selected; in Group B, 51 companies participated, with 49 eliminated and 2 selected, resulting in a selection rate of only 10%. Among the three winning bidders in Group A for distal access guiding catheters (length > 100 cm), Zenith Vascular won the bid at RMB 2,956.78 with its strategy of “high-quality products at affordable prices.”

In the first year of the centralized procurement for distal access catheters, the reported volume was approximately 20,000 units. The low selection rate released a substantial volume into the open market, creating opportunities for winning bidders to potentially increase their market share.

Prior to the volume-based procurement, Zenith Vascular had already achieved annual revenues exceeding RMB 100 million, primarily driven by its distal access catheters, successfully establishing a standout product in the “most fiercely competitive market.”In the competitive landscape of the neurointerventional industry, Zenith Vascular has established advantages in the ischemic stroke treatment and access markets.。

In 2024, the medical device market underwent a period of adjustment, with its development logic undergoing significant changes. The homogenization of payment systems has led to a lack of bargaining power, resulting in the widespread elimination of undifferentiated products and accelerating market consolidation. Companies with a greater portfolio of “high-quality products” demonstrate stronger growth potential. The core products of such enterprises possess substantial technical value, commercial value, and patent barriers, which serve to underpin the company’s fundamental value and provide a safety cushion.

How Can Zenith Vascular Develop a Superior Product for the Distribution Channel Market?

Zenith Vascular’s premium products have emerged from the fiercely competitive neurointerventional access market. The development of endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS)—specifically mechanical thrombectomy—has driven the research and development of access devices. Meanwhile, as access consumables can bypass clinical trials and apply directly for registration, the regulatory threshold for these products is relatively low. Currently, there are over 110 registration certificates for neurointerventional access catheters in China.

Zenith Vascular’s success in a highly competitive market hinges on two key factors: independent R&D and in-house manufacturing.

Access catheters require the product to maintain high stability throughout the surgical procedure. Distal access guide catheters demand a soft tip and stable support, maintaining flexibility and kink resistance within highly tortuous vessels. These multifaceted requirements pose significant challenges to the manufacturing of access catheters.

Zenith Vascular’s products are entirely independently developed and manufactured. The company has mastered eight major technological platforms, including multi-layer braided catheters, laser cutting, precision braiding, and drug coating, along with key technologies for precision design and manufacturing. By establishing a complete supply chain, Zenith Vascular ensures the production of high-quality products, maintaining consistent product quality even during large-scale manufacturing.

Zenith Vascular’s products are not only precise and reliable but also deliver outstanding performance in neurointerventional procedures, providing robust support to physicians and earning widespread recognition for their superior quality.

Leveraging the opportunities presented by centralized procurement to accelerate hospital access, Zenith Vascular is poised to rapidly increase its market share. According to the bid results, Zenith Vascular reported a volume of 2,500 units for its distal access catheters. In the first year of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei “3+N” centralized procurement program covering 28 categories of medical consumables, the reported volume for distal access guiding catheters totaled 20,000 units. With 52 manufacturers excluded from the bidding, these eliminated companies have freed up nearly 10,000 units of unallocated demand in the distal access guiding catheter market.

Secondly, in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei "3+N" centralized procurement, Stryker won the bid for Group A of intracranial stents; Johnson & Johnson and Stryker won the bids for Group A of standard guiding catheters; and Medtronic won the bid for Group A of thrombectomy stents. No imported companies won bids in the distal access catheter category. Coupled with the substantial volume released to the open market, this presents a favorable opportunity for domestic manufacturers to expand their market share.

Zenith Vascular is poised to capture a market share exceeding its reported volume, driven by its superior product quality, thereby significantly boosting its market presence.

In addition to in-house manufacturing, Zenith Vascular adheres to an independent R&D strategy, continuously launching innovative products to provide one-stop innovative solutions for clinical practice.

Currently, Zenith Vascular offers a one-stop innovative solution for Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS), comprising a comprehensive portfolio of access products (distal access catheters, long sheaths, microguidewires, and microcatheters), all-in-one aspiration capabilities (aspiration catheters, negative pressure devices, and stent retrievers), and its exclusive “medical-enterprise collaborative innovation” navigational microcatheter. In the field of carotid artery stenosis, it provides a combination of carotid stents, distal embolic protection devices, and carotid dilation balloons. In peripheral interventions, its offerings include peripheral thrombectomy aspiration catheters, carotid stents, and peripheral coils. Additionally, through a strategic partnership with InnoMedical, Zenith Vascular is jointly advancing the commercialization of venous stent systems.

The ischemic stroke market is a core strength of Zenith Vascular and the fastest-growing segment within the neurointerventional field., the surgical volume increased from 10,000 cases in 2018 to 150,000 cases in 2023. Zenith Vascular’s comprehensive portfolio of consumables covers both aspiration and mechanical thrombectomy, flexibly supporting various thrombectomy techniques. Its flagship products are highly distinguished: the aspiration catheter offers technical advantages in rapid navigation and efficient clot removal; the stent retriever enables efficient and stable thrombus capture with minimal vascular injury; and the navigational microcatheter provides simple and effective avoidance of vessel tortuosity and the windowsill effect.

Zenith Vascular Takes the Lead in Capitalizing on Carotid Stenosis, the Next “Breakout” Market in Neurointervention. It is reported that the annual volume of carotid artery stenosis surgeries exceeds 150,000 procedures. Currently, no domestically produced products have received regulatory approval, and products from imported brands have not been updated in the past two decades, with some failing to meet current clinical development needs.

Zenith Vascular’s full range of carotid artery stents supports transradial access and features a dense-mesh design that reduces plaque detachment during and after the procedure, significantly enhancing safety. Leveraging its patented single-layer hybrid braiding technology, Zenith Vascular’s carotid stents exhibit excellent kink resistance. The stents also offer a semi-deployed recapturable function, which improves maneuverability and facilitates accurate stent deployment.

Following its success in the neurointerventional field, Zenith Vascular has rapidly established a foothold in peripheral interventions by leveraging its extensive experience and technological expertise. Its product portfolio covers three key subsectors: peripheral thrombectomy aspiration, intervention for venous stenosis, and aneurysm embolization, providing physicians with one-stop innovative solutions.

Zenith Vascular Launches Innovative Peripheral Thrombectomy SolutionZenith Vascular has launched an innovative solution for peripheral thrombectomy, which comprises three components: the Tianhang® Pro Peripheral Thrombectomy Catheter, the Tianji® Thrombus Removal Device (separator), and a negative pressure suction pump with accessories. For thrombi that are difficult to reach or clear in clinical practice—such as high-burden thrombi, subacute organized thrombi, and mural thrombi—the combined use of the Tianhang® catheter and the Tianji® separator can be attempted. This approach enables aspiration assisted by the separator, ensuring efficient thrombus removal.

Recently, Zenith Vascular’s Huntianling® Peripheral Embolization Coil System has also received market approval. As the first “fully controllable” mechanically detachable peripheral coil with fibers on the market, the Huntianling® Coil aims to assist clinical operators in achieving an ultimate control experience, thereby enabling more precise and safe implementation of surgical strategies.

It is evident that the combination of two major strategies—innovation in medical enterprises and simultaneous development of R&D and production—has enabled Zenith Vascular to establish a competitive advantage in the market. From neurointerventional to peripheral interventional procedures, Zenith Vascular has advanced steadily, progressing from breakthroughs in single areas to comprehensive scenario-based innovation. Amidst the market restructuring driven by centralized procurement, the company has seized opportunities to achieve leapfrog development, break through intense domestic competition, and let innovative power lead industry growth.