Anti-infective Drugs Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Anti-infective Drugs Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The anti-infective drugs market is expected to witness a CAGR of 3.5% over the forecast period.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several communities, industries, businesses, and lives were adversely affected owing to the restrictions imposed by various countries. Almost all sectors were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the use of anti-infective drugs came into focus, in order to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, along with other infectious agents, that worsened the condition of the affected population. An article titled “Antimicrobial Resistance in the COVID-19 Landscape: Is There an Opportunity for Anti-Infective Antibodies and Antimicrobial Peptides?” published in the journal of Frontiers in Immunology in June 2022 suggested the use of antimicrobial peptides and antibodies as anti-infective drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The wide use of anti-infective drugs for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 among the population significantly contributed to the growth of the market over the forecast period.

The anti-infective drugs market is expected to grow steadily owing to the rising prevalence of targeted diseases, and increasing awareness initiatives and the rising investments on the research and development activities on anti-infective drugs. Anti-infectives drugs has been one of the major segment for many pharmaceutical companies from decades. Over the past two decades, the infection rate has grown significantly, particularly across the low and middle income countries.

There are a large number of companies well-established in the market with their products in the form of antifungals, antibiotics, anti-bacterial, anti-protozoans and antivirals targeting cytochrome, interleukin, interferons and some are multi-drug resistants. The primary driving factor for the growth of the market is increasing burden of several infectious diseases across developed and emerging markets such as different forms of influenza, diarrhea, hepatitis, and urinary tract infections, among others, which needs more attention from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For instance, an article titled “A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Urinary Tract Infections Among Geriatric Patients: Prevalence, Medication Regimen Complexity, and Factors Associated With Treatment Outcomes” published in the journal of Frontiers in Public Health in October 2021 indicated that urinary tract infections cause over 7 million hospital visits and 100,000 hospitalizations every year. The rising necessity for anti-infective drugs for the treatment of such diseases are expected to propel the market growth.

Moreover, there has been significant growth in the number of multidrug-resistant organisms across several parts of the world, which further increases the importance of innovation in the anti-infective agents. Several institutes have established certain initiatives or campaigns to increase awareness about infectious diseases among the public. For instance, in November 2021, the World Health Organization conducted the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) with the theme, ‘Spread Awareness, Stop Resistance’ in order to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance.

Similarly, key market players have also followed suit. In February 2021, Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, announced the launch of the C. difficile Awareness Initiative. C. difficile is an infectious bacterium that can cause a serious and potentially life-threatening infection associated with symptoms from diarrhea to severe intestinal inflammation. The article indicated that an estimate of around 462,000 C. difficile infection cases were being registered in the United States every year. The increasing number of initiatives by various organizations and market players on the spreading of awareness about the infectious diseases are expected to propel the market growth.

Also, in August 2021, Xellia Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical manufacturer specializing in anti-infective treatments, opened its manufacturing site in Cleveland, Ohio in United States. The company released the first anti-infectives manufactured at the site for distribution to United States hospitals. Such activities are expected to propel the market growth over the forecast period.

However, shortage of resources in healthcare facilities particularly in emerging markets, and emergence of anti-infective drug resistance and the associated side effects restricts the growth of the studied market.

Key Market TrendsAntiviral Products are Expected to Register High Growth Over the Forecast Period

The anti-viral agents are expected to show high growth over the forecast period, as several drug manufacturers are exploring opportunities to expand in the lower and middle-income countries, where the epidemic infection rate is high. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on antiviral drugs updated in August 2021, antiviral drugs are prescription medicines that are mainly used in the treatment of flu. Anti-viral drugs help reduce the risk of infection and shorten the time when the affected person is sick.

The rise in the incidence of infectious diseases, increasing awareness among the population about such diseases and the rising number of research and development in the area is adding to the growth of the market.

Several market players have been focusing on the production and manufacturing of anti-viral drugs, owing to their increasing necessity. For instance, in October 2021, Merck & Co. Inc., a pharmaceutical company, signed a voluntary licensing agreement with Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a United Nations-backed public health organization. The agreement focused on facilitating affordable global access to molnupiravir, an investigational oral COVID-19 antiviral medicine for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization. Such activities are expected to boost the antiviral segment growth over the forecast period.

There is high diversity in the patient pool which require long treatment procedures in hospital facilities as well as home care treatments. Moreover, there has been observed a growing interest by governments in countries showing fast economic growth, to collaborate with hospitals and global pharmaceutical companies to imporve the distribution rate of antiviral agents to the needful in the required area of a country. For instance, in November 2021, Pfizer Inc. announced an agreement with the United States government to supply 10 million treatment courses of its investigational COVID-19 oral antiviral candidate, PAXLOVID. The company had also entered into several advance purchase agreements with various other countries and had initiated bilateral outreach to approximately 100 countries around the world. Such factors are expected to boost the growth of antivirals segment over the forecast period.

North America is Estimated to Have Largest Share Over the Forecast Period

The North American region is expected to contribute significantly to the market growth during the study period. Factors such as a sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, high awareness in society, well-established distribution channels, and a good presence of e-commerce across the United States and Canada is expected to drive the market over the forecast period.

The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advocates the use of antivirals for various infectious diseases. For instance, in September 2021, the CDC published a brochure supporting the use of antiviral drugs for the treatment of influenza. The CDC suggested the use of four drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, oseltamivir phosphate, zanamivir, peramivir, and baloxavir marboxil. Such activities by governmental health organizations promoting the use of antivirals in the nation are expected to propel the growth of the market over the forecast period.

The high purchasing power of the end consumer and favorable reimbursement policies help pharmaceutical companies to grow in this region. Further, it helps the pharmaceutical companies increase their production capabilities, and invest more in funded projects with renowned medical institutions to suffice the demand for anti-infective drugs across North America.

Several key market players are also aiding the growth of the market. For instance, in May 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK and VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK manufactured by Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel treatments for gastrointestinal diseases. Such instances are projected to boost the growth of the market over the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The anti-infective drugs market is competitive and consists of a few major players. The major market players are focusing on better distribution channel as well as reaching out to each category of patients with different diseases and age groups, which makes the companies grow in this market. Some of the major players in the market are Novartis AG, Merck & Co., Inc, Sanofi SA, GSK, and Gilead Sciences, among others.

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