Alpha Medtech Enters Surge in Surgical Market, Driving the Billion-Dollar Laser Energy Platform
Introduction: “Equip them (doctors) with a sharp instrument, and a patient’s fate may be altered by a single surgery.”
From the era of cold weapons, represented by the scalpel, to the era of thermal instruments, represented by the Valleylab electrosurgical unit, increasingly complex and diverse surgical needs are driving surgical instruments toward greater precision and safety.
“Surgical medical instruments and surgery share a symbiotic relationship; they must have emerged simultaneously, with each giving meaning to the other’s existence. For patients requiring surgical intervention, surgery represents their hope for curing disease, while medical devices are directly critical to the success or failure of the procedure.”Mr. Qian Jinghong, CEO of SesaMedical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “SesaMedical”), stated in an interview with VCBeat.
In today’s surgical procedures, energy-based surgical devices have become indispensable tools. Surgeons utilize these devices to cut, dissect, coagulate, and seal tissues. Driven by the rapid growth in both the volume and variety of surgical procedures, the market for energy-based surgical devices is also expanding rapidly.
Against this backdrop, the field of minimally invasive surgery has seen the emergence of numerous niche segments. Among them, the urology sector—a market valued at tens of billions of U.S. dollars—is particularly vibrant, with global medical device companies actively engaging in frequent mergers and acquisitions, financing rounds, and new product launches.
This “surge in interest” is fundamentally driven by the enormous clinical demand for urological diseases, with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men being particularly prominent. According to data from a study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity at the end of 2022,From 2000 to 2019, the number of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in China increased by 99%, surging to 94 million and maintaining a rapid growth trend.
Laser therapy is now widely recognized in clinical practice as the “gold standard” for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As a leading company in the niche segment of “laser medical devices” for urology, SesaMedical holds 90% of the domestic market for high-power green laser systems.
In the high-potential arena of energy-based surgical devices, can SesaMedical emerge as a Chinese homegrown company capable of delivering comprehensive minimally invasive surgical solutions, thereby establishing itself as the “domestic Medtronic” in China’s MIS sector? VCBeat delves into these questions.
“We have been looking for a domestic Chinese company capable of providing comprehensive solutions for minimally invasive surgery; if none can be found, establishing our own is certainly a viable option,” said Mr. Qian Jinghong, CEO of SesaMedical.
SesaMedical is a medical device company focused on the field of minimally invasive surgery and providing a one-stop urology platform.In 2021, it successively completed the acquisition and integration of several leading enterprises in the surgical industry, including Yingjia Medical and Ruitong Medical, thereby achieving rapid expansion and integration of its products and technologies.
Group Subsidiary Structure
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Yingjia MedicalEstablished in 2015, it specializes in the research and development and production of minimally invasive products such as ultrasonic scalpels and staplers.CompanyThe company has secured over 100 patents domestically and internationally, enabling rapid conversion across all stages from R&D and production to marketing.
Ruitong MedicalFounded in 2005, the company is a high-tech medical technology enterprise dedicated to the independent research, development, and design of laser energy devices. Its R&D team comprises overseas-returning professional scholars from the fields of laser, electronics, and mechanics, as well as domain experts in clinical medicine and laser optics technology.CompanyThe company currently holds 4 U.S. patents and 34 Chinese patents.
Alphamais Medical’s market strategy is driven by a dual-engine model of independent R&D and mergers and acquisitions. In fact, Alphamais Medical’s deep engagement in the energy-based surgical devices sector dates back to the 1990s, which marked the starting point of this track.
Qian Jinghong, Co-founder and CEO of SesaMedical, has dedicated nearly three decades to the medical device industry both in China and abroad, witnessing the full cycle of transformation, growth, and rapid ascent of the Chinese medical device market.
“Many members of our founding team come from leading global medical device corporations. Among them are R&D engineers with strong technical expertise and marketing managers who are highly attuned to market trends. I myself am a former Medtronic employee. We have all been deeply engaged in the medical device industry for many years, witnessing its robust growth in China over the past decade or more, while also recognizing the explosive opportunities and broad prospects within the energy-based surgical devices sector. Laser-based energy devices were the entry point we identified and committed to from the outset.”
SesaMedical is built upon a vision to drive healthcare, reimagining product definitions to research, develop, and manufacture innovative, lower-cost solutions.
Seizing the market opportunity, SesaMedical was officially established in 2017,The company’s founders, together with the core R&D team, have reexamined the current state of the industry. Grounded in radiofrequency and microwave surgical energy technologies, they are focusing on securing technological and product leadership in laser-based surgical energy platforms, leveraging these strategic breakthroughs to capitalize on the explosive growth of the laser surgery market.
“Surgical medical devices are a form of passive consumption, directly impacting life and health. Products must address fundamental issues; there is no such thing as pseudo-demand in the surgical instrument industry. This adheres to Occam’s Razor principle: ‘Entities should not be multiplied without necessity.’”
Driven by this precise insight into the market and clinical needs, the SesaMedical team remains closely aligned with clinical practice throughout product development. Leveraging advanced industrial technologies and undergoing rigorous clinical validation, the company uses clinical outcomes as the sole benchmark to produce surgical instruments that truly address real-world challenges.
Furthermore, SesaMedical keeps pace with policy developments and actively responds to the national call for healthcare reform, enabling patients to address their medical needs at a low cost.With the introduction of national centralized procurement policies, SesaMedical has leveraged the price advantage of its domestically produced devices to steadily expand its presence in the energy-based surgical device sector.
As a medical device company providing comprehensive solutions for minimally invasive surgery, SesaMedical specializes in the field of minimally invasive surgical procedures and offers a one-stop urology platform. Committed to intelligent R&D models and advanced management practices, we strive to deliver user-friendly, high-quality surgical instruments and equipment, along with comprehensive minimally invasive surgical solutions, to physicians and patients worldwide.
Product Solutions
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Currently, SesaMedical has deployed a one-stop comprehensive solution for the treatment phase in urology.Among these, the high-power (up to 180W) green laser technology—the Ruitong Green Laser Surgical System—is a key strategic focus for the company in the energy-based surgical devices sector.
“Why urology? Because its disease treatment protocols are relatively standardized, and the incidence of prostate conditions in men is inevitable, with nearly all cases ultimately requiring surgery. Thus, this specialized surgical market is both sufficiently vertical and substantial.”
As a visible laser, green laser is characterized by its ability to pass through irrigation fluid without attenuation, as its energy is hardly absorbed by other fluid media. It is selectively absorbed by hemoglobin-rich tissues, generating sufficient thermal effects to vaporize the tissue and achieving excellent hemostasis.
Therefore, green laser has the advantages of good vaporization and hemostatic effects on highly vascularized prostate tissue.
YAG/LBO Green Laser Surgical System
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The advent of GreenLight laser therapy has brought significant benefits to BPH patients worldwide, transforming what was once a lengthy, painful procedure with numerous complications into an outpatient day surgery. In the United States, the adoption of GreenLight laser surgery is steadily increasing.
Among the numerous treatment options for BPH,Transurethral GreenLight Laser Vaporization of the Prostate (PVP)It is the most mainstream surgical procedure recommended by the European Association of Urology (EAU) in its 2022 guidelines for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The guidelines note that greenlight laser vaporization is an excellent option for patients who cannot discontinue anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy.
The Chinese Urological Association (CUA) also recommended 80 W, 120 W, and 180 W photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) as alternatives to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for male patients with moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms in its 2022 guidelines.
The Reallase GreenLight Laser Surgical System is the only high-power green laser surgical system approved and commercialized in China, and one of only two worldwide, for Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate (PVP), following Boston Scientific’s GreenLight.
The device operates primarily by removing hyperplastic tissue through vaporization explosion induced by rapid temperature elevation, thereby achieving high-power vaporization of prostatic tissue and low-power coagulation for hemostasis. The Ruitong Green Laser Surgical System offers the following primary advantages in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH):
First, the use of the RevoLix green laser surgical system for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) not only reduces intraoperative bleeding and postoperative complications, thereby accelerating patient recovery, but also effectively prevents injury to the nerves and arterial tissues surrounding the prostate and urethra during surgery, thus preventing the occurrence of retrograde ejaculation and erectile dysfunction.
Therefore, green laser lateral vaporization will be the only laser surgery potentially classified as ultra-minimally invasive.
Secondly, the RevoLix Green Laser Surgical System delivers ultra-high power therapeutic energy of 180W, enabling a high resection rate and bloodless surgery when treating large-volume prostates. This allows physicians to precisely resect hyperplastic tissue under clear visualization, significantly shortening operative time.
Finally, leveraging the high-performance vaporization resection and hemostatic capabilities of green laser technology, this device and surgical technique can safely and effectively alleviate symptoms in high-risk patient populations, such as those on anticoagulation therapy or of advanced age. This approach avoids the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risks associated with discontinuing anticoagulants during the perioperative period and shortens operative time for elderly patients, thereby ensuring safety.
After eight years of dedication and accumulation, the Reiton Green Laser Surgical System has been adopted by hundreds of hospitals across China and has successfully treated over 100,000 patients with prostatic diseases.
SesaMedical has also co-established nearly 20 Ruitong Green Laser Research and Training Centers with numerous renowned Grade-A tertiary hospitals across China, empowering more frontline physicians to master this safe and efficient green laser technology. This initiative facilitates the practical implementation and widespread adoption of green laser technology, ultimately benefiting a greater number of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
China Green Laser Research and Training Center
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SesaMedical has completed the construction of its comprehensive minimally invasive surgery platform and industrial layout, featuring group-level R&D, manufacturing, operations, and marketing centers. The company also operates three manufacturing bases, three R&D bases, and multiple operational bases across China and globally.
SesaMedical Headquarters (Shanghai Zhangjiang Office)
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“After years of exploration, the company has identified a path to becoming a leading enterprise in minimally invasive surgery in China, akin to Medtronic. Currently, the company holds approximately 90% of the Chinese market for green laser surgical systems.”
In addition, SesaMedical'sThulium LaserThe related products have successfully completed clinical trials,Expected to obtain certification by the end of 2023At that time, the company’s portfolio in the field of energy-based surgical devices will gain another key player.
SesaMedical's New Products in Development
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We look forward to SesaMedical’s increased investment in medical innovation, bringing us more surprises.
References:
1. "Energy-Based Surgical Device Report" Released: The Multi-Billion Energy-Based Device Market Is Vast and Dynamic; Who Can Break the Dominance of Imports?
2. Chinese-Made Medical Lasers Launch a Counteroffensive: Growth Opportunities Lie in These Four Major Trends