the medical gases market | Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Medical gases are primarily used in hospitals. Their purpose is to treat, relieve pain, anesthetize and improve respiratory functions. They have always been used in hospitals and healthcare facilities, but only recently have they been considered real medicines. The most known medical gases are: oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, acetylene, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydro/chloro/fluorocarbons.

It is possible to classify these products into three categories: 

·       Medicinal gases that act as drugs (Oxygen (O 2 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), nitric oxide, etc.).

·       Gases for medical devices (CO2, N2O, etc.);

·       Non-state gases.

Globally, the medical gases market is considered to be growing. It is projected to reach a value of $5.7 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.6%.

This growth is also due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic, which has increased the demand for this type of medication to treat patients.  

The medical gas market in Italy has also grown exponentially due to the recent health emergency. During the pandemic, the most requested gas was oxygen and it is estimated that in the areas most affected by Covid-19, the demand for this aeriform has increased up to 5 times.

The main Italian player in this market is the listed company Solgroup.

One of the critical issues in this market is not so much finding the raw material but rather the supply of packaging to contain them, which are often delivered late or require special treatments to be used. Also the operators who work with these materials must use specific protection devices that can be difficult to find especially in this historical moment.  

From the above data it can be seen that this market is growing but can be difficult to penetrate as there are well established competitors and it can be very difficult to find the right raw materials and packaging if one is not an expert in the field.