Pulse oximeters are selling like hot cakes, which chips are driving the surge?
Latest update time：2022-12-27 18:26
Reads：
When the epidemic first broke out three years ago, masks in February, forehead thermometers in March, oximeters in April, and helmet masks in May were all medical products that were sold out of stock almost every month.
In December of this year, the domestic epidemic prevention policy was adjusted, and the popularity of oximeter made a comeback.
In a short period of time
,
supply
exceeded demand, and the price of
blood oximeters
has skyrocketed
. Some netizens said that blood oximeters that usually cost around 100 yuan have soared to 400 to 500 yuan. There are also blood oximeters that cost 83 yuan half a year ago and are now sold for 129 yuan, indicating that they are out of stock. The editor searched for oximeter on JD.com, and many products were displayed as "on pre-sale" or could not be delivered due to transportation issues.
A Yuyue oximeter solution provider told Xinshixiang that the demand for oximeter has surged since this month, and the market is out of stock, and they can't even get the manufacturer's ready stock. Foreign blood oximeters are also sold out, and there has been a rush for them in the market in the past two days, causing related manufacturers to run out of orders. Due to the adjustment of mainland China's epidemic prevention policy, Holtek, a major MCU manufacturer, has recently received urgent orders for thermometer guns and oximeter applications.
Source: Interface News
Data provided by JD Health to Jiemian News on December 13 showed that in the past week, the platform’s blood oximeter transaction volume
increased by 272%
from the previous week
. On December 12, the blood oximeter transaction volume
increased by more than 41 times
year-on-year
.
Search for the top 30 best-selling finger-clip oximeter and ECG/oximeter products with prices ranging from early 60 yuan to early 200 yuan. On December 26, the sales volume of the top three products on the list on December 26 was
58.9 respectively. 10,000 pieces, 127,000 pieces and 131,000 pieces
. Nearly 20 of the products show that they are out of stock in the current area, or the delivery time is extended due to transportation resources. The latest delivery time of the products that can be purchased is around December 29.
Everyone's work and life are being restored steadily and orderly, and many people are also busy purchasing cold medicines, antigen detection reagents and other anti-epidemic supplies in preparation for emergencies. When the peak of infection hits, there are elderly and children. Families, patients with underlying diseases, etc. need to be more alert, so the popularity of oximeter came into being.
After reading this article, you will learn:
1. What does the oximeter measure?
2. Why is it out of stock? Is it easy to expand production?
3. Are there any clues about destocking the chip behind the oximeter?
01
What does a blood oximeter measure?
Blood oxygen saturation has been included by the World Health Organization and others as one of the indicators for judging severe COVID-19.
The "New Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan, Ninth Edition" issued by my country's National Health Commission points out that blood oxygen saturation below 93% is one of the reference criteria for severe patients. For key COVID-19 populations, blood oxygen saturation below 93% requires timely medical treatment. The "Handbook for People Who Test Positive for 2019 Coronavirus Disease" issued by Hong Kong on November 21, 2022, explicitly recommends that people in home isolation use a blood oxygen meter to monitor blood oxygen saturation.
COVID-19 patients whose lungs are infected will have reduced blood oxygen levels, causing hypoxemia
(oxygen saturation below 90%)
. At this time, you may feel tired, have difficulty breathing, and some may even not feel anything. Discomfort, however, hypoxemia can leave health risks. In addition to high-risk symptoms, by monitoring blood oxygen, if there is a significant drop in blood oxygen, you also need to seek medical treatment in time.
A home oximeter can accurately measure the body's blood oxygen saturation anytime and anywhere. According to the "New Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan (Trial Ninth Edition)", arterial blood oxygen partial pressure
(PaO2)
/ oxygen concentration
(FiO2)
≤300mmHg
(1mmHg=0.133kPa)
can be diagnosed as severe COVID-19, that is, the oxygen saturation is lower than 93%.
Unlike the now popular finger-clip oximeter, the first-generation oximeter was still clipped to the ear and was mainly used by fighter pilots.
In the 1930s and 1940s, after the outbreak of World War II, fighter pilots would wear a blood oxygen monitor clipped to their ears. As the altitude of the aircraft increased, the oxygen content in the air decreased, thereby judging whether the pilots were flying at high altitudes. Whether oxygen is needed or not, the accuracy of the equipment at that time was still very inaccurate.
Oximeter has also gone through clinical use and finally become popular in ordinary people's homes:
In 1975, the No. 1 pulse oximeter model was made by Nippon Kohden Co., Ltd. The product was called "Ear Blood Oxygen Saturation Detector OLV-5100". This instrument used ear measurement and was put into use for 10 years. Taiwan is conducting trials at medical sites.
In 1977, Minolta Corporation (now Konica Minolta), which was conducting independent research, exclusively launched the world's first finger-clip type oximeter "OXIMET MET-1471" and successfully commercialized it.
In the 1980s, the American Biox Company and Nellcor Company improved Minolta Camera Company's pulse oximeter technology, and since then pulse oximeter has been widely used as a monitoring device in anesthesia. The blood oxygen saturation meter "N-100" launched by Nellcor in 1982 was sold all over the world, making the public aware of the effectiveness of the instrument and promoting its practical use.
In fact, oximeter has been widely used around the world. Especially in 2020, the outbreak and epidemic of the new crown epidemic have attracted attention. Blood oxygen saturation concentration has become one of the important parameters for diagnosing whether patients are seriously ill in the world. In Europe and the United States, In countries and regions that have taken the lead in "opening up", such as Japan and Singapore, sales of finger-clip oximeters have surged in the consumer market.
In Japan, patients with mild symptoms staying in hotels will receive a thermometer and an oximeter, and must measure and report them themselves. In our country, many makeshift shelters are also equipped with oximeter. The "Fangcang Hospital Patient Manual (Third Edition)" mentions that patients who feel uncomfortable can use a finger clip oximeter to detect blood oxygen saturation at any time. If it is lower than 95%, it means there may be hypoxia, and medical staff should be notified in time for further examination.
Paulette believes that the oximeter product is an essential product for self-testing of blood oxygen at the bedside of patients in the shelter. Therefore, it is not just a surge in household purchases under the current situation of liberalization. It will be a portable medical device that will be used for a long time in the future. Monitoring products.
As an important exporter of oximeter, Hongri Pharmaceutical's Chaosi Electronics' 2020 finger clip oximeter and other medical device products' overseas market orders have increased more than 4 times compared with the previous year, and domestic market orders have increased more than 3 times compared with the previous year. Head oximeter company Kangtai Medical's blood oxygen product revenue in 2020 surged 700% year-on-year in 2019
(second only to analytical testing products, which surged 2,700%)
.
02
Why is it out of stock? Is it easy to expand production?
According to Jiemian News, on December 8, Zhang Wenhong’s team posted on the official public account “Huashan Infection” of the National Infectious Disease Medical Center and the Department of Infectious Diseases of Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University that if an infected person develops a persistent high fever
(greater than 39 degrees Celsius) )
or the pulse
(heart rate)
continues to increase
(more than 100 beats/min)
for more than 3 days; or the oxygen saturation drops below 95%, you should go to the hospital in time.
Virology expert Chang Rongshan explained to Jiemian News that if the oxygen saturation is lower than 95%, it indicates that there is a problem with lung function, which may be caused by other infections
(such as bacterial infections, influenza)
, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to seek medical treatment even if the antigen self-test is negative. .
The current surge in demand for oximeter is mainly due to the fact that after policy adjustments, colds and fevers have increased in the population, and the number of confirmed cases has increased. Groups such as the elderly with underlying diseases are more exposed to the disease. Officials encourage oximeter as a device for monitoring and preventing severe illness. Coupled with the popularization of blood oxygen knowledge and media publicity, many experts recommend that families and individuals prepare finger-clip oximeter and other equipment to keep abreast of their own and their family's physical conditions.
Moreover, the unit price of home oximeter is low, ranging from tens to one or two hundred, and it can be used repeatedly, so it is not a big burden for most people. In a short period of time, the blood oximeter was rushed to buy, and the hot search effect in turn prompted more people to buy it.
It is not only necessary to equip the elderly, patients with basic diseases, mothers and infants with oximeter, but many ordinary people have also begun to pay attention to their own health, and the original supply of oximeter has not been able to adapt for the time being. Nowadays, manufacturers are stepping up production and replenishment. As production increases, supply will improve.
Unlike other heavy asset equipment, it is not difficult to increase production of home oximeters.
The production of home oximeters mainly lies in the assembly process. Increasing the number of production lines can achieve expansion of production capacity. At the beginning of 2022, Paulite
produced an additional 350,000
finger-clip oximeters within one month to support the Hong Kong epidemic.
Of course, manufacturers will not blindly expand production easily. Considering that the surge in demand is only temporary, if production capacity is increased blindly, it may result in a waste of newly built production capacity after supply and demand return to normal. Yuyue Medical said in a recent interview with the media that the company has a number of flexible production lines and will "reasonably arrange" production capacity if necessary later. The company has sufficient parts and components to ensure supply.
Many people say that the bracelet can also detect blood oxygen. In fact, its accuracy is not as good as an oximeter with its own medical device certificate. Therefore, for people with elderly people, children, or people with poor immunity, it is more practical for daily monitoring. Once hypoxemia occurs, you can seek medical treatment in time.
Relevant information shows that for ordinary people without serious underlying diseases, monitoring blood oxygen saturation is of little significance. Don’t follow the trend and buy oximeters, and try to leave resources to those who really need them. In its new coronavirus column, the World Health Organization (WHO) also stated in its answer to the oximeter that "most people infected with the new coronavirus receiving home care do not need to use a pulse oximeter."
03
The chip behind the oximeter,
Do you have any ideas for destocking?
Home oximeter is mainly divided into finger clip type, wrist type, arm type, handheld type, wearable type, etc., involving domestic and foreign brands such as Yuyue, Kangtai, Meiling, Lepu, Haier, Omron, Philips, Corfu and so on. Generally, they have low power consumption, high precision, OLED high-definition large screen functions, and imported chips are also the promotional points of some manufacturers.
The sales of blood oximeters have grown dramatically in recent years.
Relevant reports indicate that in 2020, the average annual sales of finger-clip oximeters of leading domestic companies such as Chaosi and Kangtai
exceeded
10 million units
.
Take Kangtai Medical, one of the world's largest pulse oximeter suppliers, as an example. In the past two years, Kangtai has produced more than 25 million units/sets of pulse oximeters and supplied them to customers around the world. Kangtai's 2020 annual report also shows that its sales volume in the medical device industry
(blood oxygen category)
in 2020 was more than 15.6 million units, an increase of more than
800%
from more than 1.68 million units in 2019
. By 2021, this number will be 10 million units, and the sales volume in the past two years has been approximately more than 10 million units each year.
Source: Kangtai Medical 2020 Annual Report
Source: Kangtai Medical 2022 Semi-annual Report
By 2022, Kangtai Medical's latest semi-annual report for 2022 shows that among its main businesses, blood oxygen products or services have operating income of approximately 155 million yuan, accounting for all of its main businesses
(blood oxygen, monitoring, ECG )
is about
63%
, which is quite a high proportion.
If calculated based on the data of 15.6 million blood oxygen meters and 880 million revenue in 2020, the average price of its blood oxygen meters is about 56 yuan/unit, then it can be inferred that Kangtai's
sales in the first half
of this year
will be about 2.8 million units
. In addition, the 2021 annual report shows that 5 million units of new production capacity will be added in 2022. If we include 2.5 million blood oxygen units, plus the peak number of 15.6 million units, the
current annual production capacity is about 18.1 million units
.
A recent CITIC Securities report on the prosperity of the pharmaceutical industry shows that the current domestic market size of pulse oximeters is 1 billion yuan. If the market demand increases by 50 million to 100 million
(unit: units, average unit price 40 yuan/unit)
, the market size is expected to increase by 2-4 billion yuan. In the post-epidemic period, the top oximeter manufacturers produce more than 10 million units each year.
What chips are behind this?
By clipping the oximeter's laundry clip-like sensor to your fingertips, you can measure heart rate and blood oxygen concentration at the same time, and the values will be displayed on the attached small LCD screen.
Take a finger-clip oximeter as an example. An oximeter generally consists of an MCU, a memory chip
(EPROM and RAM)
, two digital-to-analog converters that control LEDs, and a device that filters and amplifies the signal received by the photodiode. The received signal is digitized to provide components such as an analog-to-digital converter to a microprocessor. LEDs and photodiodes are placed in small probes that are in contact with the patient's fingertips.
Schematic diagram of blood oxygen measurement system, source: TaiSiMicro
Oximeter solution developed based on TCAS24 chip, source: Taisi Micro
The following is the disassembly of three different brands of oximeter models on the market for more than 100 yuan. They are from Yuyue finger clip pulse oximeter YX303, Yuyue finger clip pulse oximeter YX102, Kangtai pulse blood oximeter. Oxygen meter CMS50D.
Yuyue's finger-clip pulse oximeter YX303: The circuit main control board module adopts the mature and reliable STM32F0 series
(STM32F051C8T6)
of STMicroelectronics
, the low-power
RUNIC
analog switch RS 2105 series, and the high-performance SGMICRO
's
operational amplifier SGM 8634 series and other important components can "perfectly balance" power consumption and real-time processing performance.
Yuyue finger clip pulse oximeter YX102: The core control system is based on Holtek Semiconductor 8-bit microcontroller HT66F4550.
Kangtai pulse oximeter CMS50D: uses Nuvoton 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0 microcontroller mini58TDE and transmission PPG sensor.
Finger-clip oximeter is suitable for home early warning. The general price is around tens to one hundred. The chip cost is not high. For example, the core chip MCU STM32F051C8T6 mentioned above has a spot price of only a dozen yuan.
Yuyue's solution provider said that the MCUs they currently use in their oximeter solutions are mainly domestic brands such as Jerry, AMEC and Realtek from Taiwan. At present, competition among domestic consumer MCU manufacturers is fierce, and prices are gradually falling.
This small home oximeter has sold out. Although the chip usage is not large, it may have brought a glimmer of hope to the chip market in the cold winter. Holtek, a major MCU manufacturer, is expected to ship MCUs for medical products such as blood oximeters in each month of the first quarter of next year. This will help to reduce its related IC inventory. Holtek's overall medical measurement product line accounted for 10% of the market share in the first three quarters. Its performance ratio is about 10%, making it the second largest application.
04
Conclusion
Three years have passed since the epidemic, and many people still remember that when the epidemic broke out in 2020, it was hard to find a forehead thermometer, and related chips were out of stock one after another. In the past year or two, the demand for oximeter has surged in countries and regions such as India, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States, and has even become a commonly used medical device at home in developed countries such as Europe, the United States, and Japan.
Now, with the adjustment of my country's epidemic policy, we are also paying attention to the construction of public health and medical systems such as critical care medicine, infectious disease prevention and control, and rapid testing. Will this short-term demand turn into a long-term and stable demand? What do you think?
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