DNA REPAIR DRUGS MARKET ANALYSIS

The high cost of drug development can hamper the global DNA repair drugs market growth. Developing an effective drug from the stage of discovery to approval is an expensive process that requires extensive research, testing, and clinical trials. On average, it costs over US$ 2.6 billion to develop a new drug and take it through the entire clinical trial process for approval, according to a report published by the Tufts Centre for the Study of Drug Development in 2020. This massive financial investment combined with long development timelines deters many pharmaceutical companies from investing in DNA repair drugs. DNA repair is a complex mechanism involving many pathways and molecular targets. Drugs targeting DNA repair are often harder to develop as compared to other therapeutic areas as these must demonstrate efficacy in repairing genetic errors without causing unwanted side effects like increased cancer risk. This results in a high failure rate during clinical trials and contributes to the high costs. According to the data published by European Commission in 2021, nearly 75% of drug candidates fail during clinical trials despite showing promise in pre-clinical research, wasting millions of dollars in development costs. The financial risks involved discourage large pharmaceutical firms from aggressively investing in DNA repair therapeutics unless a very high return is expected.

Market Opportunities: Emerging economies with large patient pools

Emerging economies with their rapidly growing patient populations present a huge opportunity for the global DNA repair drugs market growth. Countries like India, China, Brazil and others in Asia Pacific and Latin America are experiencing significant economic development that improves access to healthcare for millions. As per the World Bank, over 300 million people in India and 200 million in China were raised out of extreme poverty between 2011-2019. This growing middle class now has more disposable income and healthcare remains an top priority. As life expectancies increase in these nations, common age-related diseases requiring DNA repair drugs like cancer also increases. Furthermore, governments in emerging economies have started prioritizing improvements to their public healthcare systems, which enhances diagnosis and treatment rates for various chronic diseases. For example, India’s National Health Policy 2017 aims to increase public healthcare spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025 from the current 1% level. Programs like Ayushman Bharat are providing 500 million citizens access to health insurance coverage for the first time. Similarly, Brazil has had universal public healthcare since 1988. Its system SUS treats over 75% of the population. Improved access to diagnosis and care means more patients can be identified for DNA repair drugs if and when needed.