Olympus has announced they entered into an agreement to acquire Quest Photonic Devices for up to $60.7 million (€50 million). This acquisition will support Olympus as they seek to strengthen their surgical endoscopy capabilities.
Netherlands-based Quest develops fluorescence imaging systems (FIS) enabling more surgical endoscopy capabilities compared to existing technologies. FIS refers to 4K light imaging technologies that use fluorescent dyes to make specific anatomical structures visible. These targeted dyes, in combination with specific light wavelengths, make it possible to see tissues or lesions that are nearly invisible under normal white light.
For Olympus, this technology is seen as capable of expanding opportunities in the laparoscopy market beyond the company’s Visera Elite II imaging system for identifying blood vessels or lymph nodes under the surface tissues. Overall, this acquisition brings high hopes to “Making the Invisible Visible” through the innovative technologies offered by Quest!
“We are delighted to incorporate Quest’s advanced FIS capabilities into our comprehensive medical imaging portfolio,”
Kanichi Matsumoto, Olympus global head of surgical endoscopy
The Rise of 4K Camera Systems
The main driver in the surgical camera market is the conversion of the HD surgical camera system installed base to 4K-capable camera systems. 4K surgical cameras produce superior image quality compared to their HD counterparts. 4K features four times the number of pixels compared to HD, which provides enhanced zooming capabilities and is beneficial for situations where the surgeon cannot directly see the tissue being operated on, such as during minimally invasive surgery.
Despite the increasing adoption of 4K camera systems, HD camera systems have remained the standard in 2020. However, this is expected to change rapidly. Unit sales for 4K camera systems are anticipated to increase significantly over the forecast period to reach over 14,000 units sold per year by 2027, taking over the market share from HD systems. Furthermore, as 4K camera sales continue to increase, the average selling prices (ASP’s) of surgical camera systems will increase over the forecast period, due to the inherently higher cost of production
EU Surgical Camera Market Analysis and Forecast
Overall, the European surgical camera systems market size was valued at over €471 million in 2020. This is expected to increase at a yearly rate of almost 4% to exceed €614 million by 2027. Based on the analysis by iData research the HD Surgical Camera System Market is expected to see a 30% decrease in market value, as the 4K Surgical Camera Systems become widely adopted.
Register to receive a free European Market Report Suite for Surgical Camera Systems Market 2021-2027 synopsis
Via: Mass Device
