SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDS) TREATMENT MARKET ANALYSIS

Sexually transmitted disease also known as venereal diseases is a clinical syndrome of infection, acquired and transmitted through sexual activity via body fluids such as semen, vaginal fluid or blood. Causative agent of STD are bacteria, parasites, yeast, and viruses. Symptoms of STDs includes skin rashes, warts, abdominal pain or genital ulcers. STDs are detected by physical examination or assays such as ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay), rapid plasma reagin blood test or antibody-absorption blood test. The sexually transmitted disease treatment market is expected to witness high growth in the forecast period (2017 – 2025), due to the factors such as increasing disease burden, governmental initiatives for increasing awareness, growing diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases, and increasing number of pipeline products by manufacturers for treatment of these diseases.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment market – Driver

Increasing sexually transmitted disease burden is fueling growth of the STDs treatment market. Among 20 STDs, the most common are Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis (HBV), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). For instance, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in year 2016, 1,598,354 cases of Chlamydia trachomatis infection were reported in the U.S., corresponding to 497.3 cases per 100,000 in 2015. Furthermore, 468,514 gonorrhea cases were reported for a rate of 145.8 cases per 100,000 population, an increase of 18.5% from 2015. This increasing incidence of STDs is also due to the unprotected sexual practice, which in turn fueling demand for STDs treatment. For instance, according to World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe sex is second most common risk factor for increasing disease burden.

The number of products in pipeline for HIV treatment are high, which is expected to propel growth of the sexually transmitted disease treatment market. For instance, in 2017, GSK and ViiV Healthcare applied in European Medicines Agency (EMA) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for regulatory affiliation for a single-tablet, two-drug regimen of dolutegravir (by ViiV Healthcare) and rilpivirine (by Janssen) used for treatment of HIV-1 infection. Moreover, other drug candidates in pipeline includes – PrEP, PRO140 with ibalizumab, BMS- 955176, which are expected to be launched in the forecast period. Moreover, governments are focusing on funding research and development programs, which is expected to aid in growth of the market. For instance, British Columbia Center for Disease Control sponsored doxycycline (drug) studies for indication of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infection, which is in early phase I clinical trial as of 2016.

Moreover, increasing governmental initiatives to spread awareness through organization of campaigns and free diagnostic camps is also expected to augment growth of the STDs treatment market. For instance, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched Improving Sexually Transmitted Disease Programs through Assessment, Assurance, Policy Development, and Prevention Strategies, or STD-AAPPS, in 2014. Moreover, in 2018, Thunder Bay Group—HIV / AIDS / hepatitis C education and support services provider— expanded the access of hepatitis C medicine for individuals with level 2 hepatitis C, after  negotiating with the provinces and drug manufacturers.

However, growth of the sexually transmitted disease treatment market is expected to be restrained by low rate of screening for diseases and late diagnosis of the disease such as HIV.  

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment market - Regional Analysis

Geographically, the sexually transmitted diseases treatment market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. North America is expected to be dominant market, owing to rising government initiative for disease awareness and implementation of prenatal screening programs. However, Asia Pacific is expected to be fastest growing market for sexually transmitted diseases treatment, due to high incidence of sexually transmitted infections, owing to unprotected sexual practices in the region. For instance, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), Asia Pacific had the second-highest number of people living with HIV in the world i.e. 5.1 million as of 2016, Moreover, China, India, and Indonesia accounts for three quarters of the total people living with HIV in Asia Pacific.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment market – Competitor

Major players in highly fragmented sexually transmitted diseases treatment market are Merck & Co. Inc., Pfizer INC, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Roche, Gilead Sciences Inc., AbbVie Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Key players in sexually transmitted disease treatment market are focusing on adopting strategies such as mergers and collaborations for expanding their research for candidate drugs. For instance, in 2017, the drug Zoloflodacin entered into clinical trials, as a result of partnership between Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) and Entasis Therapeutics. Moreover, in March 2018, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. entered into a deal with ApolloBio Corp., which have the exclusive rights for development, manufacturing, and commercialization of VGX – 3100, Inovio’s DNA immunotherapy product for pre-cancer indication.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment market - Taxonomy

By Disease Type

• Gonorrhea
• Chlamydia
• Syphilis
• Herpes
• Hepatitis (HBV)
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Other Indications

 By Therapy Type

• Anti-bacterial drugs
• Anti-viral drugs
• Anti-fungal drugs

By Route of Administration

• Oral
• Injectable
• Topical

By Distribution Channels

• Hospital Pharmacies
• Retail Pharmacies
• Online Pharmacies