Disposable Endoscopy Trend Arrives: This Company Enters Strongly with Single-Use Hysteroscope | Fosun Innostar Venture Camp

Disposable endoscopes are emerging as star products in the field of endoscopy.

Endoscopy has evolved for over 200 years and is widely used as a critical clinical diagnostic tool. Currently, the most commonly used devices in clinical practice are traditional reusable endoscopes; however, the long-standing issue of cross-infection associated with their use remains a persistent concern for both healthcare providers and patients.

As a global leader in the endoscopy sector, Olympus has encountered numerous challenges regarding cross-contamination associated with reusable endoscopes. In August 2020, Olympus announced a voluntary recall of approximately 4,150 endoscopes primarily sold in the United States and Europe due to risks of infection or malfunction. In 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically cited Olympus, issuing warnings about patient deaths linked to reusable urological endoscopes.

The emergence of single-use endoscopes is an inevitable trend.

From a product perspective, disposable endoscopes, particularly disposable electronic endoscopes, enable single-use disposal without compromising performance, thereby preventing cross-infection. In terms of hospital usage costs, disposable endoscopes have lower procurement prices and eliminate the need for managing sterilization processes. Regarding patient experience, disposable endoscopy can be performed in primary care outpatient settings, offering enhanced safety.

From the corporate perspective, single-use endoscopes offer low costs and a disposable consumables model, yielding significant commercial value. Globally, the single-use endoscope market remains in its early stages of development, presenting Chinese enterprises with an opportunity to achieve overtaking on the curve.

Shenzhen Century Minimally Invasive Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Century Minimally Invasive") is a member of the domestic endoscope industry.The company entered the market with its portable, single-use electronic hysteroscope, which is currently undergoing regulatory registration. Meanwhile, its video laryngoscope and lighted stylet products have obtained U.S. FDA clearance, EU CE marking, and China NMPA registration certificates, successfully penetrating both domestic and international markets.。

From sales and agency distribution to independent R&D and entrepreneurship, this is a path taken by many founders of medical device companies, including Zhu Chunming, founder of Century Micro-Invasive.

Since 1996, Zhu Chunming has been engaged in the sales of medical devices, accumulating over five years of sales experience. Driven by a mindset that refused to follow a conventional path and dared to try new ventures, he co-founded a company specializing in the import and export agency of medical devices, seeking his own niche market during the agency process.

“Professionals in the medical device industry are eager to develop original products and overcome critical technological bottlenecks. Around the year 2000, a hospital director commissioned me to procure some imported hysteroscopic products. At that time, few hospitals in China performed hysteroscopic surgeries, and domestic companies’ technologies and products were not yet mature. Through this process, I observed how hysteroscopic products advanced gynecological surgery toward minimally invasive techniques, tangibly alleviating patient suffering and shortening hospital stays.”

Pinpointing the Right Field,Zhu Chunming led a multidisciplinary team of professionals with extensive experience in circuit design, hardware R&D, and corporate management to officially found Century Micro-Invasive in 2017.At that time, the penetration rate of the endoscopy market in China was low, with imported brands holding a high market share. However, the domestic market size has been continuously expanding, growing from approximately RMB 5 billion in 2010 to over RMB 34 billion in 2021.

In China’s endoscopy sector, general surgery and urology are the primary application scenarios, with most companies entering the market through products such as laparoscopes and cystoscopes. Zhu Chunming focused on the gynecological market, coinciding with the golden period of rapid advancements in hysteroscopic technology.

Hysteroscopy is regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing intrauterine lesions. Previously, because the uterus consists of soft tissue and is not visible on X-ray imaging, clinicians commonly used metal probes to enter the uterine cavity to assess its structure and determine the presence of pathological conditions such as endometrial hyperplasia, endometritis, and intrauterine adhesions. This method was neither intuitive nor easy to perform. Furthermore, non-invasive ultrasound examination could not identify all lesions, posing certain risks of missed or misdiagnosis.

The advent of hysteroscopy has transformed the diagnostic and therapeutic paradigm for intrauterine diseases in gynecology.Hysteroscopy enables physicians to visually, minimally invasively, and accurately assess the uterine cavity, determining the location, size, extent, and texture of lesions.Following a definitive diagnosis, physicians may proceed with minimally invasive surgical treatment via hysteroscopy. Currently, many benign intrauterine conditions can be treated through hysteroscopic electrosurgical resection, thereby preserving the patient’s uterus and fertility while minimizing procedural trauma.

In recent years, hysteroscopy has become increasingly prevalent in gynecology. However, traditional reusable hysteroscopes carry a risk of cross-infection, as their complex internal structure, high level of system integration, and specialized materials make post-procedural disinfection and sterilization challenging. Moreover, reusable hysteroscopes are expensive, resulting in high procurement and maintenance costs for hospitals. Targeting these clinical needs, Shiji Weichuang has embarked on the development of disposable hysteroscopes.

“The endoscopy market is substantial, with Olympus spinning off its camera business; the endoscopy division has become the pillar of this industry leader. Century Micro-Invasive focuses on single-use electronic endoscopes for gynecology and respiratory applications, eschewing traditional gastroscopes and laparoscopes, and adhering to the principle of specializing in refined, distinctive, and innovative products.”

Endoscopes are diagnostic instruments that integrate modern electronics, traditional optics, precision mechanics, and ergonomics, featuring a high technical barrier. First, their internal imaging chips are predominantly imported by domestic endoscope manufacturers, which lack customization capabilities. Developing dedicated imaging chips tailored to specific clinical departments and human body cavities entails long R&D cycles and high costs. Second, the manufacturing process requires highly precise machining techniques.

In addition to the aforementioned R&D challenges, disposable hysteroscopes, characterized by their miniaturization and precision, impose higher technical requirements on structural design, imaging, and welding, making mass production equally challenging.

Century Micro-Invasive has devoted substantial time to developing imaging chips specifically for gynecology, while simultaneously enhancing the precision manufacturing processes of its endoscopic products. The company maintains long-term collaborations with renowned clinical gynecologists across China, adjusting hysteroscope pixel resolution, structural design, and other parameters based on clinical needs.

Shiji Weichuang’s portable, single-use hysteroscope features a small-diameter scope body, requires no anesthesia, causes no pain, and enables patients to complete the examination and leave on the same day in an outpatient setting. Moreover, this product eliminates the need for lenses and optical fibers, effectively controlling costs and facilitating broader adoption at primary care levels. Currently, this disposable hysteroscope is undergoing regulatory registration and is expected to receive approval within this year.

Meanwhile, Century Micro-Invasive has collaborated with the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Developing an AI-based disease diagnosis module for single-use hysteroscopic products, leveraging AI image recognition to identify intrauterine lesions, thereby improving early diagnosis and treatment rates and reducing the difficulty of physician interpretation.。

The company is “streamlining R&D” by developing a portable, single-use, high-definition hysteroscope designed exclusively for diagnostic examinations. Typically, a complete hysteroscopy system not only facilitates preliminary examinations but also incorporates an instrument channel, allowing surgical instruments to be introduced into the uterus. This design inevitably compromises the size of the distal imaging sensor, resulting in reduced image clarity. In contrast, diagnostic-only hysteroscopes lack an instrument channel, leaving the imaging sensor size unaffected and thereby delivering higher image clarity at a lower cost. These devices are better suited for primary care hospitals that do not perform interventional procedures.

Furthermore, Century Micro-Invasive is also “adding to its product portfolio.” The company’s endoscopic products adopt a split, modular design, with separable console and scope components. The console features a unified interface that is compatible with bronchoscopes, urethrocopes, hysteroscopes for induced abortion, and other such devices.

In addition to disposable hysteroscopes, Century Micro-Invasive is also developing disposable ENT endoscopes and bronchoscopes. During the pandemic, the demand for respiratory tract testing increased, and disposable bronchoscopes can effectively prevent respiratory infections.

The Company’s “Qiaogong” Video Laryngoscope has been approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and has obtained FDA and CE certifications, with its market presence extended to numerous countries worldwide. Currently, the Company is also developing disposable blades compatible with the device’s main unit to transition them into consumable products.

Shiji Weichuang has completed an angel round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan,Currently conducting Pre-A round financing. Moving forward, the company will continue to deepen its presence in the disposable endoscope market, refine technologies such as imaging, precision manufacturing, and image recognition, and further develop gynecological and respiratory endoscopy products. Meanwhile, the company will accelerate regulatory approval processes, strengthen academic promotion, and continuously expand its R&D and marketing teams.

On the entrepreneurial journey, exchanges with peers and support from platforms have been instrumental to Zhu Chunming’s success. When asked why he joined the Fosun Star Future Creation Camp, he stated, “The Fosun Star Future Creation Camp builds a healthcare ecosystem that brings together many outstanding enterprises. As our company is based in Shenzhen, we have more interactions with businesses in the Pearl River Delta region. We aim to connect with more industry colleagues through the Star Future Creation Camp, engage in exchanges on technology, capital, and academia, and integrate into a broader and more advanced healthcare ecosystem.”

According to Wu Lili, CEO of Fosun’s Xingweilai Research Institute, “The Xingweilai Dalian Fund has been successfully established, with a fund size of RMB 500 million. Leveraging Fosun Pharma’s industrial ecosystem and extensive resources in the healthcare sector, the fund will continue to focus on high-potential projects in life sciences, innovative medical devices, and medical AI, aiming to identify, invest in, and incubate future unicorns. Recruitment for the fourth cohort of the Fosun·Xingweilai Entrepreneurship Camp is about to launch. In addition to the courses and services offered in previous cohorts, more targeted modules specifically designed for the life sciences sector will be introduced. Founders in the healthcare and wellness industry are warmly welcome to join the Xingweilai Entrepreneurship Camp community.”

Reference: “Professor Xia Enlan: The Development of Hysteroscopy in China and New Advances in 2020” — OB/GYN Online

Fosun·Star Future Startup Camp is an incubation and investment platform under Star Future Capital, a subsidiary of Fosun Group, established in collaboration with Fosun and Fosun Pharma. Focused on the broader healthcare sector, it adopts a “community + incubation + investment” model to explore frontier innovation, concentrate on entrepreneurial talent, and identify and invest in future unicorns at an early stage.

In 2022, Fosun Star Future Entrepreneurship Camp is set to launch its fourth cohort. Targeting entrepreneurs in the healthcare sector and aspiring innovators, the program invites top-tier global mentors and introduces six core incubation modules, offering entrepreneurship courses and services grounded in China’s medical industry background and practical experience.