COVID-19 Impact on Leprosy Treatment Market
- COVID-19 has had a massive impact on leprosy patients, because (in places with fragile health systems like India) all nonurgent hospital consultations and admissions are discouraged in health facilities due to concerns about responding to rising COVID-19 cases. This has shifted the hospital's priority toward COVID-19 responses, making other health conditions less important for the time being.
- This situation has resulted in a gap in leprosy patients. Numerous satellite clinics have been established to provide special leprosy services at the community level; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on this. Furthermore, not only is access to the hospital an issue for leprosy patients, but maintaining personal hygiene on their own is a major challenge for them.
Key Drivers, Restrains, and Opportunities of Leprosy Treatment Market: Key Trends
- Rise in prevalence of skin diseases is a major factor that is estimated to drive the leprosy treatment market in the next few years. Prevalence of skin diseases, such as psoriasis and leprosy, has increased in countries such as India and China, thereby fueling the market.
- Emergence of new technologies, favorable government initiatives, and availability of favorable reimbursement policies for high-cost therapies are also projected to drive the leprosy treatment market in the near future
- On the other hand, the high cost of drugs and a lack of public awareness are expected to hamper the market to some extent
- The FDA's stringent regulatory requirements for drug approval are expected to also contribute to the sluggish expansion of the leprosy treatment market during the forecast period
North America to Capture Major Share of Global Leprosy Treatment Market
- In terms of region, the global leprosy treatment market can be divided into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to account for a prominent share of the global market due to favorable reimbursement scenario, high expenditure on health care, and rapid adoption of new technologies in the region. Europe is expected to follow North America, in terms of share of the global market for leprosy treatment during the forecast period, due to rising awareness about new treatment options and high disposable income of people in the region.
- The leprosy treatment market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand rapidly during the forecast period. Expansion of the market in the region can be attributed to an increase in prevalence of leprosy, rise in government initiatives, and rapid development of health care infrastructure in the region. About 60% of the world’s leprosy patients live in India. Therefore, India is a major market, worldwide, for the treatment of this disease. Out of these, about 46% were women and children. According to The Leprosy Mission Trust, the prevalence rate in India in 2014 was about 0.68 per 10,000 population.
Key Players Operating in Global Leprosy Treatment Market
Major players operating in the global leprosy treatment market are:
- GlaxoSmithKline plc
- Macleods Pharmaceuticals
- Cadila Pharmaceuticals
- Novartis AG
- Systopic Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.
- AstraZeneca plc
- Zydus Cadila
- Merck & Co., Inc
- Sanofi
- Sanofi Synthelabo
- Other prominent players
Global Leprosy Treatment Market: Research Scope
Global Leprosy Treatment Market, by Disease Type
- Paucibacillary Leprosy
- Multibacillary/ Lepromatous Leprosy
Global Leprosy Treatment Market, by Drug Type
- Phenazine Derivatives
- Sulfone Derivatives
- Anti-Tubercular Drugs
- Others
Global Leprosy Treatment Market, by Distribution Chanel
- Retail Pharmacies
- Hospital Pharmacies
- Online Pharmacies
Global Leprosy Treatment Market, by Region
- North America
- Europe
- Germany
- France
- U.K.
- Italy
- Spain
- Rest of Europe
- Asia Pacific
- China
- Japan
- India
- Australia & New Zealand
- Rest of Asia Pacific
- Latin America
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Rest of Latin America
- Middle East & Africa
- GCC Countries
- South Africa
- Rest of Middle East & Africa
Leprosy Treatment Market: Introduction
- Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatous. Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s disease. It primarily affects the nerves, the skin, the eyes, mucosa (of the mouth, the nose, and the pharynx), the kidneys, the testes, the reticulo-endothelial system, and the voluntary smooth muscles of the human body.
- These include skin lesions with no sensation and thickened or damaged nerves. Leprosy can be broadly classified into paucibacillary leprosy and multibacillary leprosy. Moreover, leprosy patients with negative smear test at all sites are said to have paucibacillary leprosy (few skin lesions with or without the involvement of peripheral nerves).
- Leprosy is highly prevalent in low-income countries. Treatment by using one anti-leprosy drug (monotherapy) is likely to result in the development of drug resistance by bacteria toward that drug. Thus, multidrug therapy (MDT) is a standard treatment for leprosy. Multidrug therapy was first recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee in 1984.
- The WHO has been supplying MDT free of cost to all endemic countries since 1995. Rifampicin is the most commonly used antileprotic agent. It is effective in both types of leprosy. The WHO recommends multidrug combination of rifampicin, clofazimine, and dapsone for the treatment of multibacillary leprosy, while paucibacillary leprosy is treated with rifampicin and dapsone. Some clinical trials in the last few years have shown that certain quinolones such as ofloxacin, azithromycin, and minocycline are active against Mycobacterium leprae. The WHO has recommended single-dose treatment with minocycline, rifampin, or ofloxacin in patients with paucibacillary leprosy.
