Diagnostic Specialty Antibodies Market (2022-2029)

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the diagnostic specialty antibodies market both positively and negatively. The surge in COVID-19 cases increased the demand for point-of-care test kits containing antibodies due to their capability to provide faster results than other testing methods. To perform mass testing, public organizations in various countries purchased a considerable number of test kits. For instance, the WHO in September 2020, partnered with Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Access to covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), the Global Fund, and UNITAID for providing COVID-19 antigen test kits to the low and middle-income countries.

Similarly, the European Commission in December 2020 signed an agreement with F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland) and Abbott Laboratories (U.S.) for purchasing 20 million rapid antigen tests for mass testing the EU Member States. The expected third wave of COVID-19 is further expected to increase the demand for antibody-based testing in the future.

The number of unintended pregnancies increased significantly worldwide due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN Population Fund on 11th March 2021 reported that around 12 million women did not have access to contraceptives during the pandemic due to mobility restrictions, supply chain disruptions, and the reluctance of people to visit hospitals and clinics in fear of developing an infection. The UN Population Fund stated that this problem is expected to cause 1.4 million unintended pregnancies in 2021 globally.

Regulatory authorities worldwide are actively providing approval to antibody-based test kits to support the mass screening across countries. These initiatives are further expected to have a positive impact on the market.

However, the temporary supply chain disruption due to nationwide lockdowns led to the shortage of test kits across numerous countries; thus, such disruptions hindered the growth of this market to a notable extent.

Public and Private Organization Initiatives to Eradicate Infectious Diseases is Projected to Drive the Adoption of Diagnostic Antibody

Various organizations are actively involved in eradicating infectious diseases by improving diagnostic testing; this initiative is expected to drive the adoption of diagnostic antibodies for testing.

Some of the notable initiatives for disease eradication are given below:

• The U.S. government, in the Fiscal Year 2021, funded $332 million for the TB control programs globally. The funding was used in more than 50 countries, including 20 of the 30 high burden countries. This funding is used for the prevention, detection, treatment, and R&D of TB.
• In 2021, the European Commission announced the ‘Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.’ The plan included four key action areas. One of the key areas was early detection of cancer by improving access to better diagnostics and supporting the member states by ensuring that 90% of the EU population who are expected to have breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer are provided better services in diagnosis by 2025.
• In 2020, the CDC announced the strategic plan to eradicate hepatitis in the U.S. till 2030. The plan was aimed at developing and promoting hepatitis testing in the country.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in 2019, announced the ‘Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.’ plan. This initiative was aimed at eradicating HIV disease in the U.S. by 2030. This plan was launched to improve HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatments.

Growing Prevalence of Diseases in Emerging Countries to Positively Impact Market

The high burden of diseases in emerging countries is expected to increase the demand for antibody-based test kits. According to the Cancer Tomorrow estimates, the number of cancer cases in China was estimated to be 4.57 million in 2020, and this number is projected to rise to 6.85 million in 2040. Similarly, the number of cancer cases in Brazil was estimated to rise to 995,000 by 2040 from 592,000 in 2020.

Furthermore, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that in Mexico, 12.8 million cases of diabetes were reported in 2019, and this number is expected to increase to 22.3 million by 2045. Thus, the high prevalence of diseases is expected to increase the number of testing and positively impact market growth.