Sports medicine is experiencing a surge, with numerous competitors entering the field. However, deep within this booming sector—specifically upstream in the sports medicine value chain—lies a hidden golden track: new materials for sports medicine.

With the growth of the domestic sports population and the intensifying aging trend, the demand for treatment of trauma-related and degenerative diseases associated with sports medicine is rapidly increasing, and the market is in a stage of rapid development.

According to data from Yunhu Consulting’s report, “China’s Sports Medicine Market Is Booming as Domestic Companies Accelerate Import Substitution,” the global sports medicine market was estimated at approximately USD 7 billion in 2021, with steady overall growth and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% compared to 2015. Although China’s sports medicine market started later and remains smaller in scale, it has experienced rapid growth. In 2021, the size of China’s sports medicine market reached around RMB 4 billion, with a CAGR exceeding 23%. Consequently, demand for raw materials in the upstream segment of the industry chain has also expanded rapidly.

Due to high technical barriers in the industry, significant challenges in material innovation, patent technology blockades, and difficulties in ensuring stability and safety, although a number of innovative enterprises have emerged in China, no fully mature companies have yet appeared. Furthermore, some domestic companies follow the R&D directions of foreign medical device manufacturers, resulting in deficiencies in technological accumulation and innovation. Consequently, core key materials for domestically produced sports medicine products still rely primarily on imports, and the market remains largely monopolized by foreign companies such as VICTREX, Arthrex, Smith & Nephew, and DePuy Mitek.

The persistent outbreak has further highlighted the vulnerability of China’s sports medicine sector, which remains dependent on foreign upstream raw materials. Soaring prices for both raw materials and finished products in the international market have served as a wake-up call for domestic manufacturers. Meanwhile, the sports medicine sector, being largely exempt from centralized procurement policies, is accelerating the substitution of imported upstream raw materials with domestically produced alternatives.

Amid Multi-Factor Resonance, Upstream Raw Material Suppliers in the Sports Medicine Sector Rise with the Momentum.Yun Yi Zhi Xing (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yun Yi Zhi Xing”)is one of them.

Yiyi Star was established in 2019 and is located in the Caohejing Development Zone of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Corridor in Songjiang, Shanghai. The company is dedicated to the research, development, and industrialization of leading sports medicine products. Since its inception, Yiyi Star has regarded “innovation” as the foundation of its corporate identity. Unlike companies that focus solely on a single segment of the upstream, midstream, or downstream value chain, Yiyi Star closely integrates upstream and midstream operations to drive innovation from the source.

In the product pipeline, forming a"Surgical Implants + Active Devices + Ancillary Tools"a comprehensive layout in which the three components are mutually reinforcing and indispensable, establishing a technical platform that provides holistic solutions in sports medicine for both physicians and patients, and offering an accelerated pathway for the translation of innovative research projects.

Meanwhile, Yunyi Star is actively advancing research on the modification of raw materials. Focusing on polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polylactic acid (PLA)-based polymeric implant materials commonly used in suture anchors, the company is driving the localization of sports medicine implant materials. Lin Haiyong, founder of Yunyi Star, stated that these materials have mature applications in the medical field both domestically and internationally, with high market acceptance, substantial demand, and widespread, well-established use. This will enable Yunyi Star to rapidly penetrate the market and accumulate technical expertise and capital, fostering a virtuous cycle of self-sustaining growth.

Additionally, the products developed by Yunyi Star that can be used for bone screws and anchor screwsWorld’s First Non-Polylactic Acid Absorbable Material. The new material is expected to complete product translation in 2024 and initiate clinical trials, with regulatory approval and market launch anticipated in 2026.

Commercialization is a critical link for enterprises to achieve self-sustaining revenue generation and sustainable development. The core sales team of Yunyi Star consists entirely of senior sales professionals with over ten years of experience in the medical device industry. Since then, Yunyi Star has thoroughly streamlinedEnd-to-end capabilities across R&D, manufacturing, registration, market launch, and sales, not only can it deeply integrate and implement the outcomes of industry-academia-research collaboration, but also commercialize them and ultimately bring them to market.

Currently, the company's certified products have fully begun to lay out sales channels.Following the expected completion of regulatory approvals for conventional sports medicine products by the end of 2023, a full-scale market rollout will be implemented. In 2024, the company will achieve full market penetration and attain financial self-sufficiency.Profits from mature pipeline products will drive the R&D and commercialization of novel non-PLA raw materials, enabling Yunyi Star to secure a strategic position in the upstream sector with its advanced technical materials and emerge as an industry leader.

The rapid R&D progress and rich product portfolio of Yunyi Star are inseparable from its talent pool and innovative philosophy.

In terms of team building, Lin Haiyong, who has been deeply involved in the medical device industry for decades, is well aware that technology is the primary productive force, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driving force. Based on extensive industry experience and team accumulation, Yunyi Star has forged a production and logistics team capable of fighting tough battles, as well as an R&D vanguard team capable of winning victories. “The core competency of our team is the ‘SINOAR X’ power. This reflects our belief in never settling for merely keeping pace with competitors, but rather striving to become all-around experts—‘hexagonal warriors’—to establish a firm foothold in both the domestic and global markets,” said Lin Haiyong, founder of Yunyi Star, who refers to every member of his team as an “X-Man.”