Summary

The global medical gases market has grown significantly, with an average annual growth rate of 8.30%. This expansion is due to an aging population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and improved access to healthcare in developing countries, as well as favorable government initiatives. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a notable positive impact, boosting demand for medical gases, particularly oxygen, to treat patients.

In France, one of the main market players is Air Liquide Santé - France, with sales of €166.79 million in 2021. The French market reflects dynamic growth, with a substantial increase in spending on medical gases; for example, spending on CPAP treatment has risen to 862 million euros in 2021. Future challenges for the market include adapting to environmental concerns and integrating more sustainable practices, such as increasing on-site production and using less polluting alternatives like hydrogen. Regulations remain strict, with rigorous standards governing the packaging, distribution, transport and storage of medical gases to ensure safety.

Medical gas market trends and dynamics

The medical gases market in this country is undergoing a significant growth phase, fuelled by a variety of driving forces. These gases, essential in healthcare for the treatment and relief of pain, form part of the wider industrial gases sector, which finds application in a plethora of industries. If we look at recent trends, we see a growing demand due mainly to an ageing population, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and improved access to healthcare in developing countries.

In addition, government initiatives and the recent unexpected surge in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have also acted as catalysts. Key figures in the text indicate that the size of the global medical gases market is substantial, valued at between $14 and $15 billion in 2023. A robust average annual growth rate of around 8% is expected over the next decade, suggesting that market size could exceed $29 billion by the early 2030s.

More specifically, for the French market, a dynamic, upward trajectory is reflected in rising spending on medical gases. For example, treatments such as continuous positive airway pressure and oxygen therapy have accounted for expenditure in the range of 400 million euros to over 800 million euros. In addition, the market structure is described as being dominated by large international producers of industrial gases, implying a concentration of market power and high barriers to entry for new participants.

Air Liquide and other major players are driving the consolidation trend, and their international presence is being strengthened by strategic acquisitions, particularly in emerging markets, and by research and development initiatives. Regional data underline the trend, with medical gases for surgery and home healthcare showing solid growth. Growth patterns are linked to demographics, where a significant proportion of the population in the coming decades will be over 65, constituting a considerable potential consumer base for medical gases.

In France, the percentage of the population aged 75 and over is set to rise from a low single-digit percentage to a considerable double-digit figure by 2070. Medical gases themselves are diverse and vital, ranging from inhaled gases such as oxygen and nitrous oxide to other gases used in a variety of medical applications, including laparoscopy and laser therapy. Production dynamics are also important: despite a historic decline in some segments, recent years have seen a resurgence in industrial gas sales, suggesting a likely revitalization of domestic production capacities. Regulations govern the production, transport and use of medical gases, guaranteeing safety and proper labeling for handling. However, the market is challenged by the key players in the medical gases market who are shaping the healthcare landscape

The healthcare landscape

The medical gases market is a dynamic arena with a handful of dominant international players who have a significant influence on the industry's trajectory. Thanks to strategic acquisitions and a focus on innovation and diversification, these key players have consolidated their market position and continue to drive growth. Here's an overview of the main companies operating in this critical sector.

  • Air Liquide: A pillar of the industry and world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and healthcare, Air Liquide has a sub-segment, Air Liquide Santé, which caters specifically to the medical gases market. Air Liquide Santé - France is a subsidiary specialized in the manufacture of medical gases. It is known for its extensive network of sites across France, enabling it to distribute its products efficiently throughout the country. Its presence is not limited to France; it has a growing international footprint, guaranteeing a global supply chain to meet the growing demand for medical gases.
  • Air Products & Chemicals: This American conglomerate is another heavyweight in the sector, distributing a wide range of industrial gases, including those for medical applications. Although the company itself supplies oxygen and other gases, its importance in the medical gases market is underlined by its association with Lida. Lida, also partly owned by other industry giants Linde and Messer, specializes in the production and packaging of medical gases and is establishing itself as an essential part of Air Products & Chemicals' service offering.
  • Linde Healthcare: Offering a complete range of medical gases, Linde Healthcare France has established itself in the market by meeting the various needs of the healthcare sector, whether it is the need for the production of medical gases, or the need for the packaging of medical gases.s, from therapeutic and medical needs to the facilitation of gas-assisted procedures. Its expertise ranges from oxygen for inhalation therapy to nitrous oxide and medical air for anesthesia and aerosol therapy. Linde's focus on providing tailor-made solutions for different medical applications consolidates its market position.
  • NOVAIR Medical: An innovative player in this field, NOVAIR Medical has made a name for itself by covering the entire value chain for medical gas systems. It not only produces medical gases, but also specializes in the distribution, monitoring, design and installation of medical gas systems. Its approach is to provide complete solutions that are not only efficient, but also prioritize ecological and economic considerations.

These organizations, with their diverse range of products and services, play an essential role in the dynamics of the medical gases market. They have adapted to contemporary challenges such as the rise in chronic diseases, an ageing population and public health problems

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  • Number of pages : 30 pages
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  • Last update : 17/11/2023
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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Medical gases are mainly used in hospitals for treatment, pain relief, anesthesia and respiratory function.

The medical gases sub-segment is included in the broader industrial gases segment: manufactured gases produced by the distillation of air. These include oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other rare gases. Thanks to their physical and chemical properties, they are used in the majority of industrial sectors: health (therapeutic gases for anesthesia, intensive care, pneumology, surgery, etc.), food and beverages (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other rare gases).), the food industry (soft drinks, for example), metallurgy, electronics, petrochemicals, etc.

Medical gases are grouped into three categories:

  • Medicinal gases (Oxygen (O2), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide, etc.);
  • Medical device gases (CO2, N2O, etc.);
  • Non-status gases.

The medical gases market is dominated by international industrial gas producer and distributor groups, leaving very little room for new entrants. Most of the independent players have been bought out by the major groups, as part of their diversification strategies over the last 10 years. The various players in the medical gases sector are therefore players in the industrial gases sector more generally, who are focusing on international growth. This growth is achieved through the conquest of emerging markets and major R&D efforts.

The global medical gases market is estimated at 14.34 billion dollars in 2023and should record an average annual growth rate of8,30 %over the period 2024-2032, reaching a value of29.29 billion in 2032. [EMR]

The French market has also been dynamic and growing for several years. This growth is reflected in theincrease in AMO spending on medical gases: CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) treatment with 862 million euros in 2021,oxygen therapy with 422 million euros and assisted ventilation devices with 320 million euros. [CEPS]

The French market leader is Air Liquide Santé - France, an Air Liquide subsidiary specializing in the manufacture of medical gases. This subsidiary reported sales of€166.79 million in 2021. The main challenge facing the market for medical gas producers is to be able to adapt to various contemporary issues, such as the increase in chronic diseases and global warming. [Air Liquide]

Growth is being driven in particular by an aging population and an increase in chronic diseases, combined with favorable government initiatives and better access to healthcare in developing countries. Finally, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a real positive impact on this market, considerably increasing demand for oxygen and other medical gases to treat the disease.

1.2 A growing global market

The global medical gases market is valued at $**.** billion in **** , and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *. **% over the period ****-****, reaching a value of $**.** billion in ****.

Estimated size of the medical gases market World, ****, in billions of US Source: ****

The market is therefore booming. This growth is notably ...

1.3 A healthy French market

Sales of medical gases are driven by consumption in the healthcare sector. Each year, the Comité économique des produits de santé (***), the French health products economic committee, reveals the reimbursable amounts for respiratory assistance in France. This data is a very good indicator of the size of the medical gases segment ...

1.4 Impact of Covid-19 on the sector

sales trends for industrial gas production activities

Industrial gas manufacturing activities are recorded in the Insee nomenclature under NAF code **.**Z: Manufacture of industrial gases. According to Insee, this sub-class includes :

The manufacture of liquefied or compressed inorganic industrial or medical gases: Elementary gases ; Liquid or compressed air ; Refrigerant gases ; Mixed ...

2 Demand analysis

2.1 Demographic trends should boost the sector

Global demographics

The United Nations predicts that by ****, the number of elderly people (***) in the world will have doubled, from *** million in **** to *.* billion. Their share of the world's population would thus increasefrom*,* % à **,* %.

France's aging population: already a reality...

Proportion of French population aged ** or over France, ****-****, in % Source: ****

...which ...

2.2 The uses of the main medical gases

Each medical gas can have different properties. According to Linde Healthcare France, there are three main uses for medical gases:

Therapeutic indications : use of the gas as a medicine; Specific medical use; Facilitating a medical/paramedical procedure.

According to the same source, we can draw up a table of the main ...

2.3 Different types of care requiring medical gases

Traditionally, medical gases are supplied to healthcare facilities including:

Hospitals ; ePHAD ; clinics.

Air Liquide supplies around **,*** hospitals and clinics with medical gases. Some laboratories also use them. Medical gases are also used in emergency medicine, particularly in first aid.

Many patients cared for by PSADs (***) require respiratory assistance:

The development of ...

2.4 Focus on a few pathologies requiring the use of medical gases

Acute pulmonary embolism

Number of cases of pulmonary embolism by age group France, ****, in number of cases Source: ****

The graph above represents the number of people treated for acute pulmonary embolism (***) in France in ****, by age group. In that year, around **,*** people aged ** and over were treated for pulmonary embolism, out ...

3 Market structure

3.1 Medical gas production: a sub-segment of industrial gas production

Sales of industrial gas production activities

The French industrial gas manufacturing business is listed by INSEE under the NAF **.**Znomenclature code: "Manufacture of industrial gases". INSEE gives this market size for ****: it amounted to *.** billion euros. This figure can be used to estimate the size of the medical imaging market in ...

3.2 Close proximity of production sites and high transport risks

Industrial gas production sites in France

TheUrssaf database also provides a regional breakdown of companies registered under NAF code **.**Z.

Medical gas production sites of major industrial gas groups

The most active medical gas production sites in France are often subsidiaries of major industrial gas groups.

The sector leader is the ...

3.3 Medical gas distribution networks

Medical gas distribution networks enable medical gases to be delivered in the best possible conditions, mainly to healthcare establishments (***), but also to laboratories.

In France, there are three players specializing in this type of service:

Tonnoir Fluides Médicaux RESOGAZ - Medical fluids and specialty gases for hospitals and laboratories MGM ...

3.4 The homecare market: a booming market for industry players

In ****, Les Echos estimated the home medical assistance market at €*.* billion, with an average annual growth rate of *% in recent years. According to the Fédération des prestataires de soins à domicile (***).

The Federation also gives a breakdown of these sales by activity, the * main segments being :

CPAP(***) ; oxygen therapy and ...

4 Offer analysis

4.1 Highly regulated product types

Three categories of medical gases

The omedit-paysdelaloire.fr website explains that medical gases are grouped into three categories:

Medicinal gases: (***) Ventilation, oxygenation, anesthesia, pain relief Oxygen (***)

The quality of medicinal gases is based on the specifications and methods of the European Pharmacopoeia monographs, where they exist, otherwise on those described in ...

4.2 Highly polluting products that will have to adapt to the energy transition

One of the sector's future challenges will be to integrate into the energy transition, with the use of less polluting products such as hydrogen.

A study published at the end of **** in The Lancet claimed that each surgical operation emits an average of between *** and *** kg of CO* due to a ...

5 Regulations

5.1 Strict standards

General regulations

The French Public Health Code (***) regulates the packaging and distribution of medical gases in France.

The regulations make it compulsory to

A label on the cylinder body identifying the gas contained; The presence of an instruction leaflet, as well as a Summary of Product Characteristics (***) in the case of ...

List of charts

  • Estimated medical gas market size
  • Amount reimbursed on packages for the sectors concerned
  • Population projections to 2070
  • Proportion of French population aged 65 and over
  • Size of the French industrial gas market
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Latest news

Air Liquide: the springboard of the energy crisis - 16/02/2023
  • The Group reported annual sales of 29.93 billion euros, the highest in its history
  • Sales were driven by industrial merchant activities, in particular hydrogen and oxygen sales to the steel and chemical industries in Europe and the United States
  • three new industrial gas production units for two major semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan
  • The Group has built its largest biomethane production unit in the United States
Air Liquide greenens its hydrogen - 31/07/2023
  • Air Liquide's Port-Jérôme plant captures 100,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, more than 90% of the plant's emissions.
  • Air Liquide has received 200 million euros from the French government to launch a hydrogen industry in Normandy.
  • 95% of the natural gas consumed at Port-Jérôme is transformed into hydrogen.
  • The Normand'Hy project involves an investment of 250 million euros to build a 200-megawatt electrolyzer.
  • More than 680 "large-scale" hydrogen projects have been announced worldwide, representing a total investment of $240 billion.
Siemens Energy and Air Liquide inaugurate their gigafactory to get green hydrogen off the ground - 09/11/2023
  • Siemens Energy and Air Liquide's electrolyser Gigafactory in Berlin.
  • It will produce cells with a total capacity of 1GW in the first year, gradually increasing to 3GW.
  • Investment of 30 million euros
  • it will power the hydrogen projects of Siemens Energy and Air Liquide, its only two customers.
  • In Germany, Air Liquide will commission a 20 MW plant in the Ruhr, currently the largest in Europe.
  • Another electrolyzer, ten times larger (200 MW), is planned: "Normand'Hy".
  • It will supply green hydrogen to manufacturers in the Seine Valley. TotalEnergies has already reserved half the capacity.
  • Air Liquide plans to have a portfolio of 3 GW by 2030.
  • Air Liquide currently produces 1.2 million tonnes of hydrogen a year worldwide, but the overwhelming majority is still of fossil origin.
  • "By 2030, grey hydrogen may account for only 50% of our business,
  • The group plans to triple its sales by 2035, to 6 billion euros, taking advantage of the growth in low-carbon hydrogen.
  • Germany sees hydrogen as one of the main vectors for decarbonization.
  • Hydrogen infrastructure plan in the coming weeks - a 10,000-kilometer network

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Faber Cylinders
A.I.R Partenaire santé
Spengler
Gas Control Equipement
Resogaz
Mauger Gaz Médicaux (MGM)
SOL
Technologie médicale
Linde
Air Liquide
Messer France
Messer

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