Africa Nuclear Imaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Africa Nuclear Imaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Africa nuclear imaging market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period.

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on patients and healthcare providers as they became self-selective about nuclear imaging procedures, which were categorized as non-essential. The pandemic affected the operations of hospitals and doctors too, as healthcare professionals prioritized COVID-19 procedures and postponed many elective surgeries and radiation treatments, due to which there was a decrease in the demand for related PET scans. As per the study published in June 2022 titled "Impact of COVID-19 on Nuclear Medicine Departments in Africa and Latin America", among the nuclear medicine procedures, oncological PET studies showed less of a decline in utilization compared to conventional nuclear medicine studies. A gradual trend toward a return to the pre-COVID-19 status of the supply chains of radioisotopes, generators, and other essential materials was evident. Overall, in 2020, the pandemic-related challenges resulted in a significant decrease in nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in Africa and Latin America. Thus, COVID-19 impacted the nuclear imaging market as there were distribution channel disruptions for most radiopharmaceuticals, delays in clinical studies, postponement of various surgeries and imaging procedures, an increase in teleradiology, and several staff-related limitations.

Certain factors that are propelling the growth of the market include technological advancements; increasing diagnostic applications in various diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases; government support; and a shift from standalone to hybrid modalities. The technological advancements in the field of imaging have always been challenging to practitioners in order to optimize them in patient care. Over recent years, scientists, researchers, and technologists have been able to bring systems into clinical practice in which two or even more than two standalone diagnostic imaging modalities are combined.

In February 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched a plan to tackle a severe shortage of cancer care capacity in many countries, with an initial focus on Africa, where people often die from the disease due to the lack of access to potentially life-saving nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. Moreover, in July 2020, the United States National Nuclear Security Administration awarded grants totaling USD 1.5 million to support an increase in medical staff and the building of facilities and equipment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Owing to the factors mentioned above, Africa nuclear imaging market is anticipated to witness growth over the forecast period. However, regulatory issues and a lack of reimbursement may restrain the market's growth.

Key Market TrendsOncology Segment is Expected to Hold the Highest Market Share in PET Applications Over the Forecast Period

The major factors responsible for the growth of this segment include the rise in the prevalence of cancers that require advanced diagnostics like PET/CT scans. For instance, as per the GLOBOCAN data updated in 2020, the number of new cancer cases in 2020 was 1.11 million and it is expected to rise to a count of 2.10 million by 2040. This high incidence of cancer is expected to increase the demand for nuclear imaging for its early diagnosis, which is further expected to fuel the market segment growth in the coming years.

The fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/CT is more sensitive than a contrast-enhanced CT scan in the staging of several types of lymphoma or in detecting tumor dissemination in several solid cancers, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer.

As per an article published in February 2022 by the International Atomic Energy Agency titled "Building Radiopharmaceutical Sustainability for Cancer Care in Africa", the IAEA is helping African countries to build expertise through education and training programs, and to develop their facilities to locally produce radiopharmaceuticals, which in many cases have a short shelf life and need to be used quickly after production. Thus, owing to such instances, the segment is expected to witness growth over the forecast period.

Hence, due to the factors mentioned above, the oncology segment of the market is expected to witness growth over the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The Africa nuclear imaging market is highly competitive and consists of a few major players. In terms of market share, a few of the major players currently dominate the market. Companies like Bracco Imaging SpA, Curium, Cardinal Health Inc., Koninklijke Philips NV, General Electric Company (GE Healthcare), and Siemens Healthineers, among others, hold a substantial share in the market.

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