Weekly Medical Device Industry Highlights (March 3–9, 2026): Key Product Launches, Regulatory Updates, and Strategic Transactions

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Chinese-Made Hair Transplant Robot Launched

Averto Medical ColoSeal™ Intraluminal Colonic Diversion System Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation

Johnson & Johnson Medical New Product Launch

Yuwell Medical Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Obtains EU MDR Certification

In ChinaAI Prenatal Ultrasound Approved

Recently, medical device giant Solventum announced the sale of its purification and filtration business to Thermo Fisher for $4.1 billion (approximately RMB 29.8 billion). Notably, this marks a major investment restructuring. With Solventum’s current market value at approximately $12.8 billion (approximately RMB 92.9 billion), this transaction accounts for 32% of the company's total value. Additionally, the estimated $3.4 billion in net proceeds from the deal will primarily be used to repay debt, significantly improving the capital structure of this newly independent giant. Solventum was spun off from 3M and went public independently in April of last year. Its most recent annual report showed revenue exceeding $8.2 billion (approximately RMB 59.3 billion) with over 22,000 employees. In terms of positioning, the purification and filtration business being sold is one of Solventum’s four core business segments, generating approximately $1 billion (approximately RMB 7.2 billion) in revenue in 2024.

Recently, to implement the "Pilot Program for Deepening the Reform of Medical Service Prices," and to advance the standardized compilation of medical service price items nationwide, following the approach of "releasing batches as they mature," the National Healthcare Security Administration has compiled and issued the "Guidelines for the Establishment of Medical Service Price Items for the Musculoskeletal System (Trial)." Referring to the 2023 edition of the technical specifications for medical service items, the current price items for the musculoskeletal system and technical specification items have been mapped and integrated into 109 main price items, 16 additional charge items, and 5 extension items. The next step will be to guide the healthcare security bureaus of each province to refer to these guidelines, align with local realities for implementation, formulate a unified provincial price benchmark, and allow regions with price management authority to determine the actual price levels by adjusting up or down relative to the provincial benchmark.

Recently, the Beijing Municipal Drug Administration issued a notice on the "Regulations for the Administration of Pharmaceutical Retail Enterprise Licensing in Beijing," further improving the management of pharmaceutical retail enterprise operation licenses. It solidifies the responsibilities of all relevant parties in pharmaceutical operations, leverages the operational advantages of pharmaceutical chain enterprises, and promotes high-quality development in pharmaceutical retail enterprise operations. To optimize the business environment and reduce the burden on enterprises, adjustments have been made to decrease the required operating area for pharmaceutical retail enterprises in rural areas below the township level, for pharmaceutical retail chain stores, for enterprises exclusively operating a single brand, and for enterprises dealing only in Category B over-the-counter drugs. The required preparation area for Chinese herbal medicines (excluding pre-packaged Chinese herbal medicines not used for clinical compounding) has also been reduced. Within the approved operating area of a pharmaceutical retail enterprise, applications can be legally made to operate related health products such as medical devices, provided that no less than 50% of the area is dedicated to pharmaceuticals.

Recently, according to CCTV News, starting this month, regions across China have successively implemented the results of the centralized procurement of cochlear implants. The price of a single set of cochlear implant medical supplies has dropped from an average of over 200,000 yuan to around 50,000 yuan. In December last year, the state organized a bulk procurement of cochlear implant medical supplies, with a total procurement volume of 11,000 sets. All three foreign-funded enterprises and two domestic enterprises participating in the procurement were selected. In addition to clinically commonly used products, the next-generation cochlear implant that supports (3.0T) MRI examinations was also selected. Cochlear implants are medical devices used to address severe sensorineural hearing loss, especially for young children with congenital sensorineural deafness, as they can effectively solve the problem of muteness caused by deafness.

Recently, the official website of Zhejiang Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau announced the notice (Zhejiang Medical Insurance Joint Issuance [2024] No. 15) of the "Zhejiang Pilot Implementation Plan for Deepening the Reform of Medical Service Prices" jointly issued by the bureau with the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Finance, and other eight departments. The Plan points out that by the end of 2025, a mature and finalized new mechanism for medical service prices will be promoted, continuously optimizing the structure of medical service prices to form a replicable, promotable, and sustainable Zhejiang solution for medical service price reform. Explore the implementation of "separation of technical labor and consumables." In accordance with the principle of separating technical labor from material consumption, gradually separate disposable high-value medical consumables from price items, and explore the establishment of a separately chargeable consumables directory. A price formation mechanism for general medical service items will be established. Medical service price items that are widely carried out by medical institutions, have a high degree of service homogenization, and are used relatively frequently in clinical practice will be included in the list management of general medical service items.

Recently, the Anhui Provincial Medical Security Administration officially released the "Key Work Task List for 2025 of the Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau," clarifying the main directions and specific tasks for the year’s medical insurance work, comprising a total of 20 key measures. Among these, it was explicitly stated that there will be no fewer than one batch of provincial and inter-provincial centralized procurement of medicines and medical consumables, while also leading the national biopharmaceuticals alliance procurement. Additionally, the list emphasized empowering medical institutions, pharmaceutical enterprises, and commercial insurance companies by unleashing strong policy incentives. In terms of pharmaceutical price governance, the Anhui Medical Security Administration will promote the formation of consensus on the pricing rules for drug listings, explore in-depth the management of drug prices at designated retail pharmacies, advance price disclosure, monitoring, and governance, and develop and implement a province-wide unified drug price comparison system. Meanwhile, efforts will accelerate the implementation of traceability codes, requiring full coverage by the end of July, with the principle of "no payment without a code" clearly established.

Recently, the Guangxi Drug Administration issued the "Regulations on the Supervision and Management of Automated Medical Device Vending Machines in Guangxi (Trial)" to standardize the retail business activities of medical devices through automated vending machines in Guangxi. These regulations aim to stimulate innovation vitality in the operation of medical device enterprises and promote the development of new formats and models in the retail of medical devices, better meeting the public's 24-hour demand for purchasing and using medical devices. The Regulations consist of 21 articles, covering requirements for the qualifications of operating entities, management of business premises and changes, quality management system requirements, quality record requirements, setup and operational requirements of automated vending machines, and supervision and management requirements. According to the Regulations, enterprises using automated vending machines to retail Class II (excluding those exempt from filing) and Class III medical devices must have obtained the corresponding filing number or operating license, with the business type including "retail," ensuring the legality and compliance of the operating entities from the source.

Recently, at the launch event for Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area's (Beijing ETDZ) “Entire Region Artificial Intelligence City - Ten Thousand Robots Innovation Application Plan,” the Beijing ETDZ Social Affairs Bureau announced nationwide the technical challenges and application scenario needs for robots in the medical field. For pharmacy robots, seamless integration with hospital information systems is desired. Automated medication loading machines should accurately identify and precisely stock medicines, dispensing machines should quickly and accurately sort and distribute, special drug storage cabinets should manage irregularly shaped medications, and medication verification machines should use image recognition and other technologies to verify drugs from multiple dimensions, ensuring medication safety and reducing patient wait times. Robotic systems for endoscopic surgery are expected to have flexible robotic arms with precise control and be equipped with high-definition 3D imaging systems. Orthopedic surgery robots should leverage accurate modeling and real-time navigation technology to improve success rates and reduce risks in joint replacement and spinal surgeries. Cardiac surgery robots need to enable more minimally invasive operations, minimizing impact on heart function.

Recently, the Zhejiang Provincial Government issued the "Several Measures for Full-Chain Support of High-Quality Development of Innovative Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices in Zhejiang Province," proposing 21 measures in seven aspects covering the entire process from research and development, evaluation, to application. The highlights of these measures lie in positioning medical institutions as key sources of pharmaceutical and medical device innovation, offering solutions to overcome current constraints. The Several Measures specify financial subsidies for individual hospitals and provide direct funding support and research incentives during clinical trials. The development of pharmaceuticals and medical devices requires substantial capital investment with a long return cycle. In the past, compared to other industries, financing channels for pharmaceutical and medical device innovation were limited, and the lack of funds put many innovative projects at risk of failure, restricting the innovation capabilities of medical institutions. Research subsidies and rewards for the transformation of achievements can not only alleviate the financial pressure on medical institutions but also greatly stimulate their enthusiasm to "take the lead," promoting scientific research innovation and achievement transformation at a deeper level.

Recently, the General Administration of Customs and two other departments issued the "Notice on Further Promoting the Facilitation of Clearance at Aviation Ports," proposing to accelerate the clearance speed of special goods such as high-tech equipment and raw materials, specific pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biological products, urgent aviation materials, and temporarily imported goods for major international events and exhibitions. The notice encourages eligible aviation ports to establish a "green channel" for rapid release. In terms of further improving the efficiency of import and export goods clearance at aviation ports, the Notice mentioned enhancing the efficiency of special goods clearance. It proposes speeding up the clearance of special goods such as high-tech equipment and raw materials, specific pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biological products, urgent aviation materials, and temporarily imported goods for major international events and exhibitions, while encouraging eligible aviation ports to establish a "green channel" for rapid release. In response to corporate demands, targeted pilot programs for the "direct loading" of export goods and "direct pickup" of import goods on the apron will be explored at eligible aviation ports.