Antiviral Drugs Market Analysis By Mechanism of Action (Nucleotide Polymerase Inhibitor, Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor, Protease Inhibitor), By Application ((HIV, Hepatitis, HSV, Influenza), By Type (Generic, Branded)), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global antiviral drugs market size was valued at USD 41.1 billion in the year 2015 and is estimated to reach a value of USD 69.2 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 4.0%. The growing prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) coupled with presence of strong product pipeline is expected to propel market growth.

Increase in epidemics of viral infections, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, has resulted in increasing competition between key players for development of novel therapeutics. For instance, in 2016, Roche announced its plans to take over anti-influenza drug molecule of a key competitor Shionogi after facing heavy generic competition from the star drug Tamiflu.

U.S. antiviral drugs market, by type, 2014 - 2025 (USD Billion)

In addition, growing incidence of STIs caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is expected to provide a huge target population. As per estimates, over 36 million people around the globe were living with HIV infection in 2014. Over 2.0 million new cases of HIV were reported in 2014. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 70% of new cases of HIV.

Mechanism of Action Insights

Reverse transcriptase inhibitors, owing to their high demand and extensive product range, held a substantial market share in 2015. They are commercially available in the form of fixed dose combinations, such as Atripla, for the treatment of HIV, which is estimated to help maintain dominance of this segment.

Nucleotide polymerase inhibitor Sovaldi was launched in 2013 by Gilead, leading to significant growth of this drug class since 2014. The share of hepatitis segment of the company has grown by more than 15% since the approval of the drug. Moreover, high prescription rate coupled with clinical trials for development of combination therapies are estimated to further accentuate growth

Increasing drug approvals for combination therapies are also estimated to provide the market with high growth potential. Epclusa (sofosbuvir and velpatasvir) and Zepatier (elbasvir and grazoprevir) are recent FDA-approved combination drugs. They were approved in 2016 for treatment of hepatitis C infection.

Global antiviral drugs market, by application, 2015 (USD Billion)

Type of Drug Insights

Antiviral drugs, based on patent status, are segmented into generic and branded. Branded drugs dominated in 2015 with more than half of the market share. Presence of broad range of products, high prescription rate, and high prices of the drugs result in high revenue generation

On the other hand, generic drugs are anticipated to witness lucrative growth over the forecast period. Favorable government policies, increasing number of key drugs losing exclusivity, and associated reimbursement structure are factors affirming fastest CAGR of this segment.

Application Insights

HIV held the highest share by application segment in 2015 owing to wide product range, increasing prevalence of HIV infections, and growing awareness among people and healthcare professionals for early and efficient treatment options. However, patent expiration of blockbuster HIV therapies, such as Epizicom and Atriplia, over the forecast period is estimated to affect growth over the forecast period.

Therapy for hepatitis virus is anticipated to witness strong CAGR over the forecast period. Introduction of blockbuster drugs, increasing R&D expenditure by key players for novel drug development, and approval of combination antiviral therapies are key drivers of growth.

Regional Insights

In 2015, North America dominated the regional segment with a revenue share of over 30%. Major factors accounting for the largest market share include high level of drug development, presence of key players in this region, availability of sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, increasing awareness levels, and rising healthcare expenditure.

Asia Pacific region is anticipated to provide the market with high growth potential over the forecast period. Growing base of target population, presence of established generic industry, and improving economic stability in South Asian countries are key factors anticipated to provide the market with high opportunity

Competitive Insights

The antiviral drugs industry is dominated by few players. Some key players include Gilead Sciences; F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG; GlaxoSmithKline; Bristol-Myers-Squibb; AbbVie; Johnson & Johnson; and Merck & Co. Other generic players in this market include Aurobindo Pharma, Cipla, and Dr Reddy’s.

Generic players are estimated to play important role for accentuating growth. These companies are extremely focused on development of generic version of key blockbuster drugs with high revenue sales in the past. For instance, Aurobindo Pharma received approval for marketing generic version of Valganciclovir anti-viral tablets.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional & country levels and provides an analysis on the latest trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the antiviral drugs market on the basis of mechanism of action, type, application and region:

• Mechanism of Action Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2014 - 2025)

  • Nucleotide polymerase inhibitors

  • Reverse transcriptase inhibitors

  • Protease inhibitors

  • Others

• Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2014 - 2025)

  • Generic

  • Branded

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2014 - 2025)

  • HIV

  • Hepatitis

  • Herpes Simplex Virus

  • Influenza

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Mexico

    • Brazil

  • MEA

    • South Africa