The malaria treatment market is expected to grow from US$ 3,296.98 million in 2022 to US$ 24,487.73 million by 2030; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 28.5% from 2022 to 2030.
The market for malaria treatment is growing due to the high prevalence of malaria in low-income countries and global malaria elimination programs initiated by international and national organizations. Also, the increasing number of launches of advanced diagnostic tools and rising research activities to provide effective therapeutics are further driving the growth of the market. However, factors such as a counterfeit antimalarial drug and subsequent drug resistance are restraining the market growth.
According to the latest World Malaria Report (WMR) 2020 from the World Health Organization (WHO), 241 million cases of malaria were reported in the world, in comparison to 227 million cases that were logged in 2019. According to the same source, the number of deaths caused due to malaria has an annual rise of 69,000 deaths. Approximately two-thirds of these deaths, i.e., 47,000, were caused by disruptions in healthcare services during the COVID-19 outbreak; the remaining one-third of deaths, i.e., 22,000 reflected a recent change in the WHO’s methodology for calculating malaria mortality (irrespective of COVID-19 disruptions).
The WHO African region accounted for a high share of the global burden of malaria. In 2020, ~95% of global cases and ~96% of deaths were reported in Africa due to malaria, and ~80% of the total deaths that were reported were in children aged 5 and below. According to the WHO, four African countries, Nigeria, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique, recorded approximately half of all malaria-related deaths that were reported globally. According to the LANCET Regional Health 2020, African countries had the highest burden of malaria; P. falciparum is a notable cause of the highest mortality rates in children younger than 5, which accounts for ∼77% across the world; in African countries, P. falciparum accounts for ∼96% of total mortalities caused among children by malaria. P. vivax has been a causal agent of 2% (4.5 million) of the total cases of malaria, mainly from Asia. According to WMR 2021, ∼2% of the global burden of malaria was recorded by Southeast Asian countries, where India accounted for 83% of estimated malaria cases and 82% of deaths associate with malaria in 2020. Thus, the rising prevalence of malaria in different regions across the globe boosts the malaria treatment market growth.
Governments of various countries across the globe with a high prevalence of malaria are deploying various strategies to eradicate the disease by improving access to healthcare services, including treatment options, to the people. A few of the initiatives undertaken are as follows:
• Myanmar has a national malaria control plan that the Global Fund has approved, and by 2030, it is expected to eliminate the disease caused by P. falciparum. The universal healthcare coverage in the country also includes access to malaria diagnosis by means of microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs).
• The government of Thailand has implemented a National Malaria Elimination Strategy (NMES) 2017–2026 that further applies an integrated elimination strategy that aims to eradicate the disease by 2024.
• In January 2020, the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA) launched a strategic plan for 2021–2023 with an aim to reach millions of people through malaria control interventions and thereby scale up prevention activities in Africa.
• Thus, the abovementioned initiatives to spread awareness about malaria disease reinforce the eradication efforts to bolster the malaria treatment market growth.
The report segments the malaria treatment market as follows:
Based on treatment, the malaria treatment market is segmented into generic drugs, originators, vaccines, and others. Based on route of administration, the malaria treatment market is divided into oral and parenteral. Based on distribution channel, the malaria treatment market is segmented into direct tender, hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, online pharmacies, and others. By geography, the malaria treatment market is segmented into North America (the US, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and Rest of Asia Pacific), the Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Angola, Cameroon, Senegal, Zambia, and Rest of the Middle East & Africa), and South & Central America (Brazil, Argentina, and Rest of South & Central America).
Treatment-Based Insights
The malaria treatment market is segmented based on treatment into generic drugs, originators, vaccines, and others. vaccines segment held the largest market share in 2022. Vaccines provide active acquired immunity against particular infectious disease. The market for malaria vaccines is growing at a significant growth rate owing to increasing research and development activities and increasing pipeline of vaccine candidates.
Route of Administration-Based Insights
Based on route of administration, the malaria treatment market is bifurcated into oral and parenteral & intravenous. The oral segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2022; however, the parenteral segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Oral drug delivery is the most preferred and suitable route of drug administration as it offers high patient compliance, non-invasiveness, least sterility constraints, cost-effectiveness, flexibility in the design of dosage form and ease in the manufacturing process. Benefits such as ease of administration and long-term cost efficiency are major factors fueling the adoption of oral drugs.
Distribution Channel-Based Insights
Based on distribution channels, the malaria treatment market is segmented into direct tender, hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, online pharmacies, and others. The direct tender segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2022; however, the online pharmacies segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Oral drug delivery is the most preferred and suitable route of drug administration as it offers high patient compliance, non-invasiveness, least sterility constraints, cost-effectiveness, flexibility in the design of dosage form and ease in the manufacturing process. Benefits such as ease of administration and long-term cost efficiency are major factors fueling the adoption of oral drugs.
A few of the major primary and secondary sources referred to while preparing the report on the malaria treatment market are the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Census Bureau, and CDC, among others.