Is that phenomenon specific to the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) sector or does it apply to multiple sectors?
Scholz: I only can speculate about other sectors, but the phenomenon is certainly occurring in the IVD sector. It seems the IVD sector is more globalized than any other sector in the medical device industry. Scholz: The IVD sector exhibits global standardization with a few variations. Essentially, the same products that are sold in China are sold in the Middle East, in Southern Europe, in Central Europe, and in Latin America. It’s the same companies making these products; they’re multinational companies. Chinese companies often develop their technologies based on the patent blueprints of Western companies. These Chinese companies are very skilled in manufacturing, and they are becoming competent in quality assurance. So there are new entrants to the landscape of global competition. But in terms of absolute dollars, the Chinese market is not quite on par with Western nations. IVD products are fundamentally the same everywhere, with one exception: molecular testing. That is due to the co
