ANTIBODY DRUG CONJUGATES MARKET ANALYSIS

The global antibody drug conjugates market is estimated to be valued at US$ 5.38 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach US$ 13.65 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.2% during the forecast period (2023-2030).

Analysts’ Views on the Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market: Antibody drug conjugates, or ADC, are highly targeted biopharmaceutical drugs that are made of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) covalently bonded to a cytotoxic drug through a chemical linker. They combine the benefits of highly specific targeting capacity and highly potent killing impact to enable accurate and efficient elimination of cancer cells, which has become one of the hotspots for anticancer medication research and development. The growing prevalence of cancer is anticipated to drive market’s growth over the forecasted period. According to an article published by the American Cancer Society on January 12, 2023, 1,958,310 new cancer cases and 609,820 cancer deaths are estimated to occur in the U.S. in 2023.

Figure 1. Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market Share (%), By Product Type, 2023

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Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market - Drivers

Increasing inorganic growth strategies: An increase in the number of inorganic growth strategies, such as collaboration, adopted by key market players is anticipated to promote market development over the forecasted period. For instance, in July 2022, AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, announced that it had entered into a new global development and commercialization agreement with Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, a pharmaceutical company, for DS-1062, Daiichi Sankyo’s proprietary trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2)-directed Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC), and a potential new medicine for the treatment of multiple tumor types. 

Investments by key market players to expand their current manufacturing capacities: The demand for ADCs is anticipated to increase over the forecasted period. Hence, to support the growing demand, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) are investing heavily to expand their production capacity for ADCs. Such initiatives are expected to drive market growth over the analysis period. For instance, in March 2022, Novasep, a leading provider of services and technologies to the life sciences industry, announced a US$ 5.5 million (€5.1 million) investment to expand its production capacity for Highly Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (HPAPIs) at its Le Mans site, France, in order to maintain the site's steady growth and strengthen Novasep's position as a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) in the manufacture of innovative and targeted molecules for cancer treatment. The Novasep Le Mans site has more than 15 years of experience in the field of ADCs and is known for its expertise in offering integrated solutions to produce ADC payloads and bioconjugation. 

Figure 2. Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market Share (%), By Region, 2023

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Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market: Regional Analysis

Among regions, North America is estimated to hold a dominant position in the global antibody drug conjugates market over the forecast period. North America is estimated to hold 37.7% of the market share in 2023. The North American antibody drug conjugates market is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years, driven by new product launches or approvals. For instance, in April 2021, ADC Therapeutics SA, a next-generation biotechnology company focused on oncology, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved ZYNLONTA (Loncastuximab Tesirinelpyl) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. ZYNLONTA, a CD19-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, received accelerated approval from the U.S. FDA based on its overall response rate. 

Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market - Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Since the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019, the disease has spread to over 100 countries across the globe, and the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency on January 30, 2020.

COVID-19 affected the economy in three main ways: by directly affecting the production and demand of drugs, by creating disruptions in distribution channels, and through its financial impact on firms and financial markets. Due to nationwide lockdowns, several countries, such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Egypt, and others, are facing problems with the transportation of things from one place to another.

Owing to the discontinuation of cancer screening and postponed hospital visits on cancer stage migration and outcomes, the COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to limit the growth of the global antibody drug conjugates market. For instance, according to an article published in The Lancet Oncology, July 2021, an ambidirectional cohort study was conducted at 41 cancer centers in India that were members of the National Cancer Grid of India to compare oncology service provision between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, with the same time period in 2019. The results of the cohort study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on cancer care. During the pandemic, all aspects of care were reduced, including screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, and follow-up. These reductions are likely to result in delayed diagnosis and suboptimal treatment for at least a portion of patients who would have been diagnosed with cancer during this time period.

Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market Segmentation:

The global antibody drug conjugates market report is segmented based on product type, linker type, distribution channel, and region.

• By product type, the market is segmented into adcetris, kadcyla, enhertu, trodelvy, padcev, and others (polivy, lumoxiti, zynlonta, etc.). Out of which, the adcetris segment is expected to hold a dominant position in the global antibody drug conjugates market during the forecast period, and this is attributed to broad acceptance for the treatment of cancer.
• By linker type, the market is segmented into non-cleavable linker and cleavable linker. Out of which, cleavble linker is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period, attributed to the large number of ongoing clinical studies to develop novel ADCs for the treatment of cancer.  
• By application, the market is segmented into blood cancer, breast cancer, ovary cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, brain tumor, and others (renal caner, urothelial & bladder cancer, etc.). Out of which, the breast cancer segment is anticipated to have the highest share of the market over the analysis period, owing to increasing prevalence of breast cancer.
• By distribution channel, the market is segmented into hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and E-commerce. Out of which, hospital pharmacies is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period, attributed to increase in number of hospital pharmacies across the globe.  
• By Region, the market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Out of which, the North America region is anticipated to lead the market growth over the analysis period, owing inorganic growth strategies adopted by key market players.
• Among all the segments, the adcertis segment is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period, and this is attributed to the large number of ongoing clinical studies being undertaken to study the efficacy of adcertis on different cancer types.

Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market - Cross Sectional Analysis:

An increase in the number of research and development activities is anticipated to drive the growth of the cleavable linker segment in the North America region over the forecasted period. For instance, on December 7, 2020, ADC Therapeutics SA, a commercial-stage biotechnology company  announced the latest clinical data of its two leading projects, Loncastuximab-Tesirine (Lonca) and Camidanlumab-Tesirine (Cami), at the 62nd annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2020. Loncastuximab Tesirine is an Antibody-drug Conjugate (ADC) consisting of a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against human Cluster of Differentiation (CD)-19 and conjugated to a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimeric cytotoxin via a linker.

Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market: Key Developments

On August 7, 2023, Duality Biologics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., a clinical-stage biotech company, announced that it had expanded its collaboration with BioNTech SE, a biotechnology company, to develop, manufacture, and commercialize DB-1305, a third ADC candidate, globally, excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Macau Special Administrative Region. DB-1305 is currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for solid tumors (NCT05438329). The agreement expands on the strategic partnership announced by the companies in April 2023.

On May 16, 2023, Sony Corporation, a Japan-based multinational conglomerate corporation, and Astellas Pharma Inc., a pharmaceutical company, announced a collaborative research agreement to develop a novel Antibody-drug Conjugate (ADC) platform in oncology based on Sony's proprietary polymeric material, "KIRAVIA Backbone." 

On May 12, 2023, LaNova Medicines Ltd., a clinical-stage innovative drug research and development company, announced an exclusive license agreement for LM-305, a pre-clinical stage Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) targeting G protein-coupled receptor, class C, group 5, member D (GPRC5D), with AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca will be granted an exclusive global license to research, develop, and commercialize LM-305 under the terms of the licensing agreement.

On May 7, 2023, Bliss Biopharmaceutical (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated Antibody-drug Conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, announced a clinical trial collaboration agreement with an option for strategic collaboration with Eisai Co., Ltd., a Japan-based multinational pharmaceutical company, for BB-1701, an eribulin-payload-based ADC directed against Human Epidermal Growth Factor 2 (HER2).

In June, 2022, ProfoundBio, a biotech company focused on the development of novel targeted therapies, announced the completion of a US$70 million Series A+ financing round led by Sequoia China. In the last two years, ProfoundBio has raised more than US$ 138 million. ProfoundBio will use the proceeds to advance PRO1184 and PRO1160 into Phase 1 clinical trials. PRO1184 is a folate receptor alpha (FR)-directed ADC with the potential to treat multiple solid tumors, while PRO1160 is a CD70-directed ADC with indications in both hematological and solid tumors.

Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market: Key Trends

Funds raised by startups for development of potential ADC candidates: ADC have gained significant traction in recent years, and more players are entering the market; however, some lack financial capital to develop their robust pipeline of ADC. This has encouraged startups to raise funds through financing round; such initiatives are anticipated to support the development of the ADC market over the projected period. For instance, on April 13, 2023, Novo Holdings A/S, a leading international life sciences investor, announced a new investment in Alentis Therapeutics AG, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, of US$ 105 million in Series C financing. The company is developing breakthrough treatments for organ fibrosis and Claudin-1 (CLDN1)-positive tumors. The funding will be used to support the clinical development of Alentis' lead investigational products, ALE.F02 and ALE.C04, as well as the development of the CLDN1 platform. CLDN1 antibody drug conjugates (ADC) and bi-specific antibodies are being engineered using the platform.

Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market: Restraint

Toxic side effects of ADCs: One of the major factors hampering market growth is unavoidable toxic side effects, which are caused by the premature release of cytotoxic small molecules into the bloodstream. According to an article published by Biopharma PEG, a biotechnology-oriented company, most existing ADCs appear to have a toxicity profile dominated by "off-target, off-tumor" events. The associated increased risk is determined by the toxicity profile of cytotoxic small molecules. Maytansine (DM1) off-target toxicity included hepatotoxicity and thrombocytopenia. Monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) was linked to an increased risk of peripheral neuropathy, neutropenia, and anemia. The compound monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF) has been linked to ocular toxicity. Key players operating in this market need to develop innovative ADCs that are less toxic as compared to existing ones, this will assist in creating lucrative opportunities for market development over the forecast period.

Global Antibody Drug Conjugates Market - Key Players

The major players operating in the global antibody drug conjugates market include AstraZeneca PLC, Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, Novasep, ADC Therapeutics SA, Alentis Therapeutics AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Gilead Sciences, Inc., AbbVie Inc., Biosion USA, Inc., Astellas Pharma Inc., Duality Biologics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., BioNTech SE, LaNova Medicines Ltd., Bliss Biopharmaceutical, Eisai Co., Ltd., ProfoundBio, Pfizer, Inc., ImmunoGen Inc., Mersana Therapeutics Inc., Sorrento Therapeutics Inc., Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.

*Definition: Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) are targeted medicines that deliver chemotherapy to cancer cells. ADCs work by attaching a linker to a monoclonal antibody that binds to a specific target expressed in cancer cells. The ADC releases a cytotoxic drug into the cancer cell after binding to the target (cancer protein or receptor).