The Middle East & Africa RNAi therapeutics market is expected to reach US$ 29.02 million by 2027 from US$ 16.76 million in 2019. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2020 to 2027.
The RNAi therapeutics market in the Middle East & Africa is growing primarily due to the increasing investments in RNAi therapies, and rising prevalence of infectious diseases and chronic conditions in the region. However, the high cost of RNAi therapeutics restrains the growth of the market. Additionally, a significant number of pipeline candidates for strategic alliances and rise in emphasis on RNA technologies would fuel the growth of the RNAi therapeutics market during the forecast period.
RNAi refers to the interference RNA, which is responsible for controlling and manipulating protein translation in the cell. These RNAi are used to silence particular genes that are responsible for diseases. Currently, the awareness about RNAi is increasing extensively due to its ability to offer target-specific mechanism, leading to superior treatment outcomes. The approach is widely utilized for drug development. The increasing number of investments in RNAi therapy development coupled with growing prevalence of infectious diseases and chronic conditions drive the market growth.
Lifestyle changes stemming from rising wealth are behind much of the shift, with stroke, heart disease, and lung and liver cancers supplanting lower respiratory diseases and neonatal disorders. For instance, nearly 75% of the geriatric population in the UAE have at least one chronic disease or the other. Chronic disease management requires new strategies to delay health deterioration, enhance functions, and address problems that people confront in their day-to-day lives. This has propelled the growth of healthcare systems. Extensive R&D activities are being conducted by government institutions and academic research centers to discover new drug delivery technologies and deal with the increasing number of patients suffering from infectious diseases (e.g., pneumonia, meningitis, food poisoning, and flu) and chronic conditions (e.g., cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions).
The rising cases of infectious disease with changing environment due to pollution and other factors are propelling the growth of the Middle East & Africa RNAi therapeutics market. In 2019, in a Health Conference at Dubai World Trade Centre, infectious disease experts advised the UAE and GCC public to protect themselves from the risk of acquiring upper respiratory tract diseases such as H1N1 influenza and MERS-CoV by following the communications and recommendations of their national public health authority. According to the Worldometer, 157,000 people are infected with the COVID-19 virus as of November 2020. These numbers show that cases of infectious diseases are increasing day by day.
Furthermore, cancer and diabetes are among the leading causes of mortality. According to WHO, in 2012, ~2,250 cancer-related deaths were reported in Lebanon. Cancer is becoming a major public health problem owing to the increasing incidence and mortality. RNAi therapies have significant potential to offer effective treatment for such extensively increasing diseases. The rising cases of such diseases accelerate the need for superior treatments, which bolsters the growth of the Middle East & Africa RNAi therapeutics market.
The number of COVID-19 infected cases is increasing significantly across countries in the Middle East & Africa. The Middle East countries have registered a growth in cases in the last few days, with the UAE reaching 59,921 cases, Saudi Arabia reporting 272,590, and Qatar reaching 110,153 confirmed cases. Many companies operating in this region are developing therapies to treat COVID-19. Therefore, continuously growing research and developments in RNAi therapies in these countries coupled with rising prevalence of COVID-19 would bolster the growth of the Middle East & Africa RNAi therapeutics market during the forecast period.
In 2019, the small interfering RNAs (siRNA) segment accounted for a larger share of the Middle East & Africa RNAi therapeutics market. Market growth for this segment is attributed to the increasing preference for small interfering RNAs for drug development and growing number of research partnerships. Furthermore, the microRNA (miRNA) segment is expected to register a higher CAGR in the market during the forecast period.
A few of the major secondary sources referred to while preparing this report on the Middle East & Africa RNAi therapeutics market are the World Health Organization (WHO), International Agency of Research on Cancer and Prevention, and Worldometer.