Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Market Size and Forecasts (2020-2030)

The sickle cell disease treatment market is expected to grow from US$ 1.160 billion in 2022 to US$ 4.691 billion by 2030; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 19.1% from 2022 to 2030. The market for sickle cell disease treatment is growing due to the increasing prevalence of sickle cell disease and the government and private sector’s initiatives to raise awareness about sickle cell disease. 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 lack of sickle cell disease treatment options are restraining the market growth.

The treatment plan for sickle cell disease (SCD) can be divided into two categories: maintaining health and treating complications. Sickle cell anemia has genotypic and phenotypic variants that are based on unique mutations in hemoglobin genes. There is a high prevalence of the disease as well as a rise in its severity across the globe. According to the WHO, approximately 5% of the world’s population has genes inhibiting hemoglobin diseases such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia. According to a study on sickle cell disease published in the National Library of Medicine, more than 300,000 babies are born with severe hemoglobin disorders each year; also, 400,000 newborns are expected to have sickle cell disease by 2050. In addition, according to a published report in 2023 by the American Society of Hematology, the estimated number of people suffering from SCD in the US is approximately 70,000–100,000. Thus, the rising prevalence of malaria and sickle cell disease in different regions across the globe boosts the malaria and sickle cell disease treatment market growth.

Over the years, dedicated pediatric programs and research initiatives have significantly improved patient care and life expectancy. Following are a few foundations that have raised funds to address SCD treatment in the US and around the world.

• American Society of Hematology Foundation seeks to raise US$ 500,000 in private charitable care to develop specific programs that focus on:

o Raising awareness and encouraging action against SCD

o Training and educating hematologists and other healthcare providers who treat SCD patients

o Alleviating funding of SCD programs

o Improving standards of care, research programs, and access to clinical trials for SCD people

o Supporting workforce of hematologists and other health care professionals to optimally treat SCD patients throughout all stages—i.e., early diagnosis through childhood and into adulthood

• Doris Duke Foundation grant awards to support advanced healing methods for SCD, including gene modification and drug therapies to restore hemoglobin function. The annual direct costs to support projects range from US$ 150,000–300,000 plus 10% indirect costs for each of three years. This award aims to support clinical research that will support:

o Advanced gene therapies such as gene addition and genome editing for sickle cell disease in clinics

o Build on globin regulatory mechanisms to restore red blood cell function

o Advance bone marrow transplant procedures to minimize deadliness and improve outcomes

• In August 2021, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in collaboration with ICMR, released US$ 7.2 million to the states seeking grants to tackle sickle cell anemia, including screening. The Tribal Research Institute (TRI) Division of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) sanctioned a research study program at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on sickle cell disease. Also, a project called “’Diagnosis, IEC and Nutri support for sickle cell anemia and Thalassemia affected patients” was undertaken.

• In February 2021, Novartis and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborated to determine and develop an accessible in vivo gene therapy for sickle cell disease. The partnership, funded with US$ 7.28 million, aims to develop a treatment that is affordable and simple enough to be used in low-resource areas with a high prevalence of SCD, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, where about 80% of affected people worldwide are located. The collaboration hopes to create an off-the-shelf treatment that can bypass some of the in vivo steps involved in current gene therapy approaches to treat SCD, which are costly, complex, and crafted for individual patients.

• In March 2022, a team of international researchers received a grant of US$ 3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to sequence the whole genetic code of children with sickle cell disease in Ghana. By analyzing the whole DNA sequence of 500 Ghanaian children with SCD, the researchers hope to identify potential genetic modifiers of the disease that will help improve the management and care of patients. These children are the participants in the Sickle Cell Disease Genomics Network of Africa (SickleGenAfrica). A US$ 5.4-million, NIH-funded international project led by Ofori-Acquah also focused on understanding how genetics influence SCD progression in Africans.

Treatment-Based Insights

The sickle cell disease treatment market is segmented based on treatment into generic drugs and originators. Originators segment held the largest market share in 2022. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder marked by defective hemoglobin. It inhibits the capability of hemoglobin in red blood cells to carry oxygen.

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.

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.