Immunohistochemistry (IHC) Market Analysis By Product (Antibodies, Reagents, Equipment, Kits), By Application (Diagnostics, Drug Testing), By End-Use (Hospitals, Diagnostic Laboratories), & Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global immunohistochemistry (IHC) market size was valued at USD 1.5 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% over the forecast period. IHC, as a crucial application of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies helps understand the tissue distribution of an antigen. It is extensively used for diagnosis of cancer as it helps determine the presence of tumor antigens and understand its type (benign or malignant). Rising occurrence of cancer and rapidly growing elderly population globally are the chief factors contributing to the growth of the immunohistochemistry market.

U.S. immunohistochemistry market, by application, 2014 - 2025 (USD Million)

The number of cancer patients is steadily on the rise and is expected to cause a surge in demand for effective diagnostics methods. In the diagnosis of chronic diseases, IHC plays a vital role by predicting the prognosis of tumors. It is used in the identification of enzymes, tumor suppressor genes, antigens, and tumor cell proliferation amongst others. IHC is more advantageous than traditional enzyme staining techniques since it involves specific antigen-antibody reactions. Traditional techniques identify only a partial amount of tissue structures, proteins, and enzymes. Thus, IHC has become a crucial technique and is widely used in clinical diagnostics & medical research laboratories. Other factors driving the IHC market growth include rapid increase in healthcare spending globally and a changing healthcare infrastructure with better medical practice and care facilities.

Product Insights

Based on product, the market is bifurcated into antibodies, reagents, equipment, and kits. Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and antibody-related products such as antibody fragments Fc-fusion proteins, and antibody-drug conjugates have become the leading product class in the market.

As of November 10, 2014, 47 monoclonal antibodies were sanctioned in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of a variety of diseases. In addition, increasing adoption of targeted immunotherapy - for a safer, better targeted, and more effective treatment of patients is anticipated to result in high demand for antibodies. The growing chronic disease burden and increasing demand for immune therapeutics worldwide will further drive growth for this segment over the coming years.

Application Insights

Based on application, the immunohistochemistry market is categorized into diagnostics and drug testing. The diagnostics segment is bifurcated into cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases, and nephrological diseases.

In 2016, the cancer segment accounted for the largest share in the diagnostics segment. Cancer, a leading cause of death worldwide was responsible for 8.2 million deaths in 2012, as estimated by the WHO. In addition, the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) predicts that the global burden of cancer is expected to multiply to 22 million in the coming years from an estimated 14 million new cases per year as studied in the year 2012, accounting for a rise of about 70%.

North America immunohistochemistry market, by end-use, 2016 (%)

End-use Insights

The end-use segment is subdivided into hospitals & diagnostic laboratories, research institutions, and others. Immunohistochemistry is an ancillary methodology frequently used in numerous hospitals and diagnostic laboratories for both diagnostic and research purposes.

In addition, the rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases has led to an increased demand for immunohistochemistry antibodies, reagents, and diagnostic procedures equipment in hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. Furthermore, technological advancements such as automated sample preparation and digital pathology has added considerable value. These factors are considered to be responsible for the largest revenue share of hospitals and diagnostic laboratories in the year 2016.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the immunohistochemistry market in the year 2016. The gradual maturity of the biotech market and rapid commercialization is one of the major underlying factors in the growth in the region. The growth is hindered due to its capital-intensive nature that requires long R&D and approval cycles. However, the growing adoption of immunohistochemistry products for the diagnosis of tumors of ambiguous origin contributes to North America’s dominance.

However, the Asia Pacific market is expected to the fastest growing, owing to the rapid growth of the biotech industry in developed economies such as Japan and Australia coupled with emerging economies like India and China. The Indian biotech industry witnessed year over year (YOY) growth of 57% in the financial year of 2016, compared to the previous year. This growth rate is expected to benefit the growth of the immunohistochemistry Industry. Furthermore, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is expected to play a major role as immunohistochemical methods are of great importance in the diagnosis of chronic diseases.

Competitive Landscape

The key players mapped in the report include Abcam plc, Agilent Technologies, Inc., BioSB, Cell Signaling Technology, Inc., Danaher, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Merck Millipore, PerkinElmer, Inc., and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

The players focus on alliances, strategic planning, new product planning, and research activities to achieve extensive growth. The players are undergoing mergers and acquisitions to address the increasing pace and level of competition. For instance, in March 2016, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. completed the acquisition of Affymetrix, a provider of cellular and genetic analysis products. This acquisition is expected to expand its antibody portfolio, thereby enhancing the position of the company.

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 immunohistochemistry market on the basis of product, application, and end-use:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

  • Antibodies

    • Primary antibodies

    • Secondary antibodies

  • Equipment

    • Slide staining systems

    • Tissue microarrays

    • Tissue processing systems

    • Slide scanners

    • Others

  • Reagents

    • Histological stains

    • Blocking sera and reagents

    • Chromogenic substrates

    • Fixation reagents

    • Stabilizers

    • Organic solvents

    • Proteolytic enzymes

    • Diluents

  • Kits

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

  • Diagnostics

    • Cancer

    • Infectious diseases

    • Cardiovascular diseases

    • Autoimmune diseases

    • Diabetes mellitus

    • Nephrological diseases

  • Drug Testing

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

  • Hospitals and diagnostic laboratories

  • Research institutes

  • Others

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

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • MEA

    • South Africa