China is transitioning to an economy driven by innovation and technology, with differential effects on foreign medtechs depending on their place in the value chain and type of innovation. China commentators have been updating the market.

Venus Medtech has agreed a licensing deal with Endoluminal Sciences, an Australian start-up with technology to prevent paravalvular leakage and improve TAVR outcomes.

The transcatheter heart valve management products market will reach $6.7bn by 2023, driven by the rising prevalence of heart disease. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures lead the market, but innovation and rising competition, including from companies in China and India, will fuel double-digit growth in the much smaller mitral valve repair market, dominated by Abbott's MitraClip.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement pioneer Martin Leon discussed what is coming down the pike for technologies in the TAVR and heart valve device space at the recent Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in San Diego. Here is a run-down of what he highlighted, including AI-driven technologies that promise to improve patient access and outcomes. This is the first of a two-part series focusing on innovations in interventional cardiology.