Why Are Sales of Obesity/Bariatric Surgery Devices Booming in APAC?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity and overweight are defined as excessive or abnormal fat accumulation in the body that poses a health risk. As per this international organization, a body mass index (BMI) over 30 is considered obese, and over 25 is considered overweight. In recent years, the prevalence of obesity has surged massively worldwide. As per the WHO, at least 2.8 million deaths are caused due to obesity or overweight each year. Obesity was previously associated with high-income countries, however, with changing lifestyle patterns, it is now becoming prevalent in low- and middle-income countries as well.
Bariatric surgeries can be performed through minimally invasive procedures, such as gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric banding, revision surgeries, and biliopancreatic diversion surgeries with duodenal switch (BPD-DS), and non-invasive procedures. In recent years, patients across the world have been preferring sleeve gastrectomy over other surgical procedures, as it results in more weight loss and has a low fatality rate as compared to other procedures. This minimally invasive surgical procedure also helps in decreasing the overall cost of surgery as it requires a shorter hospital stay than other alternatives.
Stapling devices, gastric balloons, gastric bands, gastric electrical stimulators, trocars, clip appliers, gastric surgical clamp, and sutures are some of the commonly used obesity surgery devices worldwide. In the recent past, the sales of stapling devices were the highest, due to their usage in almost all types of bariatric surgeries to staple the intestine parts and stomach. However, in the coming years, gastric balloons will be adopted at the highest rate because the application of this device does not require any kind of incision.
Nowadays, obesity/bariatric surgery device manufacturing companies, such as Medtronic plc, ReShape Lifesciences Inc., Johnson & Johnson, W. L. Gore & Associates Inc., Spatz FGIA Inc., and Cousin Biotech, are expanding their facilities and introducing advanced products to reach out to a larger population. For instance, in May 2016, Apollo Endosurgery Inc. and Zillion Technologies Inc. jointly launched the ORBERA Coach, a telehealth aftercare program that enables patients to access their nutrition, exercise, and other coaching resources through on-demand interaction with dieticians trained on this platform.
According to P&S Intelligence, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) obesity/bariatric surgery devices market is expected to advance at the highest rate in the coming years. This will be due to the booming aging population, rising incidence of obesity, and flourishing medical tourism in the region. For instance, the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine reports that as of 2019, India has over 135 million obese individuals. In India, nearly 53.5% of men with a mean age of 21.1 and around 46.5% of the female population with a mean age of 20.55 were obese in the country as of 2019.
Thus, the rising cases of obesity and mounting awareness about bariatric surgery will amplify the need for obesity/bariatric surgery devices in the foreseeable future.