APHERESIS EQUIPMENT MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Challenges And Opportunities

Global Apheresis Equipment Market - Drivers

• Growing demand for blood components: The demand for blood components like plasma, platelets, and red blood cells is increasing rapidly across the globe owing to the rising incidences of chronic diseases, trauma cases, and increasing number of complex surgeries performed every year. Apheresis is a specialized blood collection process that separates blood into its various components and allows the medical practitioner to collect only the required components while returning the rest to the donor. With the rising demand for blood components, the need for advanced apheresis equipment that can efficiently perform this separation is growing.
• Rising number of therapeutic apheresis procedures: The increasing number of therapeutic apheresis procedures being performed globally is a major factor driving the growth of the apheresis equipment market. Therapeutic apheresis involves removing harmful components such as antibodies, immune complexes, lipoproteins, or blood cells from the blood through an extracorporeal medical device and returning the remaining purified blood to the patient. Apheresis procedures are widely used in conditions like neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer.
• Technological advancements: Technological advancements are significantly driving the growth of the global apheresis equipment market. Various advanced technologies are helping physicians to perform complex apheresis procedures more efficiently and effectively. For instance, automated blood component extractors are being integrated with advanced robotics and artificial intelligence technologies. This is allowing operators to separate blood into various components like plasma, platelets, and red blood cells through touchscreen interfaces with minimum human errors and oversight. Some advanced extractors can even detect problems during processing and make real-time adjustments to ensure the optimal separation of blood components.

Global Apheresis Equipment Market - Opportunities

• Emerging economies in Asia Pacific and Latin America: The emerging economies in Asia Pacific and Latin America present a huge potential for growth in the global apheresis equipment market. These regions are witnessing rapid economic development and rising disposable incomes. As living standards increase, access to advanced healthcare technologies is also improving. Countries like India, China, Brazil, and others are making large investments in developing their healthcare infrastructures to cater to their growing populations.
• Growing demand for platelet rich plasma therapy: The growing demand for platelet rich plasma therapy is a promising opportunity for the global apheresis equipment market. Platelet rich plasma therapy is an innovative and effective regenerative treatment that involves centrifuging a blood sample to obtain platelet-rich plasma which can then be injected into injured areas. It has been effectively used for a variety of conditions like tennis elbow, chronic Achilles tendinitis, and knee osteoarthritis to speed up natural healing and reduce pain.
• Adoption of automated devices: The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune disorders, has significantly driven the demand for apheresis procedures in recent years. Apheresis is an important therapeutic treatment that involves extracting plasma and returning blood cells back to the patient. However, existing manual processes for donor collection and therapeutic apheresis are time-consuming and require extensive human resources and monitoring. The adoption of advanced automated devices promises to streamline these processes while achieving higher efficiency and accuracy. Automated systems allow for walk-away capabilities and provide standardized, high-quality collection with minimal human error compared to manual methods. This reduces the hands-on time for medical professionals and improves procedure consistency.

Global Apheresis Equipment Market- Restraints

• High cost of apheresis procedures: The high cost of apheresis procedures is one of the major factors restraining the growth of the global apheresis equipment market. Apheresis is a medical technology in which the blood of a donor or patient is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation. These sophisticated procedures require specialized and expensive equipment that contributes significantly to the overall procedure cost. Apheresis equipment includes many high-tech components like advanced centrifugation systems, programmable microprocessors, software for blood component separation, and collection/storage bags. The initial capital investment required to set up an apheresis facility with all the necessary equipment is substantial.
• Lack of awareness: Lack of awareness about apheresis procedures and their benefits is one of the major factors restraining the growth of the global apheresis equipment market. Apheresis is a medical therapy that involves the separation of whole blood in its different components like plasma, platelets, leukocytes, etc. and returning only the selected component or blood cells back to the patient. However, due to low level of awareness, many people are not familiar with these advanced therapeutic procedures. This hampers the adoption of apheresis equipment at hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
• Stringent government regulations: Stringent government regulations around the world are putting brakes on the growth of the global apheresis equipment market. Many countries have extensive guidelines around the use, procurement, and reimbursement of apheresis devices and procedures. This poses significant challenges for market players. The regulations focus on ensuring safety, efficacy, and appropriate clinical use of apheresis technologies. While the intent is understandable from a patient care perspective, the norms are often complex and open to varied interpretation. Companies have to invest considerable time and resources to understand, comply and keep up with changing rules in different markets. This makes it difficult for them to launch new products or indications in a timely manner.