Virus Filtration Market Analysis By Product (Consumables, Instruments), By Technology (Filtration, Chromatography), By Application (Biologicals, Medical Devices), By End-use, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global virus filtration market size was estimated at USD 2.1 billion in 2016. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is one of the major factors contributing to the growth of the market. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders are anticipated to propel the demand for biologics. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, around 14.1 million new cancer cases of cancer were diagnosed worldwide in 2012 and this number is projected to reach 21.7 million by 2030. Thus, there is a growing demand for therapeutic biologics for the treatment of such chronic diseases, which consequently propel the demand for virus filtration products for R&D and manufacturing applications.

U.S. virus filtration market by product, 2014 - 2025 (USD million)

Compliance with drug development & production regulatory frameworks such as Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations is another main driver expected to boost the market.Virus safety of these products is ensured by manufacturers through various quality control measures such as monitoring and quality check of raw materials, validation & implementation of efficient virus clearance technology, as well as validation of the final product for the absence of virus contamination. Thus, the demand for these products is very high for manufacturing and R&D practices.

CROs are collaborating with biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies for the development of novel drug and therapy, which is also expected to support market growth. Service providers includingCharles River Laboratories International, Inc.; WuXi PharmaTech; and Lonza Group Ltd. provide virus clearance services for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Thus, growth in the outsourcing industry is a lucrative opportunity that may propel the growth of the viral filtration market.

Development of biologics such as biopharmaceutical drugs is highly complex, expensive, and time-consuming than chemical medicines. Every biopharmaceutical is unique and it is very difficult to produce the same drug as the original. Even a small deviation in the protein structure could result in changes in efficacy, quality, and safety of medicine. Thus, filtration products such as chromatography reagents and kits are required to be used very carefully to avoid the variation in protein structure or denaturation of proteins, which may adversely affect the demand for these products.

Product Insights

The consumables segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2016 and is expected to showcase lucrative growth over the forecast period owing to the increased usage of these products for virus filtration. The rising focus on the development of vaccines, protein therapeutics, blood products, cellular therapy products, gene therapy products, tissue products, and stem cell products is expected to boost the demand for consumables including reagents, kits, and membranes.

In addition, availability of a wide range of products is another key factor contributing to the segment growth.There are several leading vendors including Merck KGaA; Danaher; and Sartorius AG that provide a broad range of reagents, kits, and other consumables for virus filtration. For instance, Merck offers a wide range of resins and media such as Eshmuno A Resin, ProSep Ultra Plus resin, ProSep-vA Ultra resin, ProSep-vA Ultra chromatography media, Eshmuno IEX Chromatography Resins, and Fractogel Ion Exchange Chromatography Resins.

The instruments segment is expected to exhibit significant growth rate over the forecast period owing to an escalating demand for biologic therapeutics for the treatment of chronic diseases. Biotechnology and biopharmaceutical manufacturers such as F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Pfizer Inc., and Amgen Inc., install advanced filtration and chromatography systems for R&D and production of biologics. Therefore, with an increase in demand for biologics, the demand for virus filtration instruments is also expected to rise, which is anticipated to propel the segment growth.

The services segment is projected to showcase highest CAGR during the study period. This is due to the increased outsourcing of R&D and drug development services from CROs by biotechnology companies. In addition, CROs are collaborating with biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies for the development of novel drug and therapy, which is expected to support the segment growth.

Technology Insights

In 2016, the filtration segment was the largest revenue-generating segment of the market due to the increased adoption of these products in the manufacturing of biologics & medical devices and research. In addition, it provides several advantages such as it does not denature the proteins in the product or sample and provides high efficiency and purity in a lab scale as well as on a large scale operation.

The filtration segment is expected to grow at a lucrative rate during the forecast period owing to increased R&D investment by vendors and product advancements. Companies invest a large amount of money in R&D to cater to the unmet needs of biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical devices manufacturers. For instance, Sartorius invested USD 60.4 million in R&D in the year 2016 for the development of innovative products.

Product advancements and new product launch support vendors in maintaining their dominance in the market, which is anticipated to boost the segment growth. For instance, in September 2016, Merck KGaA launched a new product Viresolve Pro Shield H for the removal of parvovirus from therapeutic protein feed streams. This product is used with Viresolve Pro devices and offers higher productivity and efficiency.

The chromatography segment is expected to grow at the highest rate owing to product advancements and increasing R&D & production of biologics. For instance, in October 2016, Pall Corporation, a subsidiary of Danaher launched Cadence BioSMB Process System, a new chromatography system for continuous and single-use production of biopharmaceuticals.

Application Insights

The biologicals segment accounted for the largest revenue share in the overall market and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR over the forecast period. This can be attributed to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as deficiency of growth hormones, blood disorders, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders that boost the demand for biologics.

According to the WHO, the prevalence of diabetes amongst patient aged more than 18 years has risen from 8.5% in 2014 as compared to 4.7% in 1980, globally. In addition, according to American Cancer Society, about 1.7 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2015. Thus, growing adoption of advanced viral removal products has been observed for the development and production of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of chronic diseases.

Leading biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies such as F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.; Eli Lilly and Company; Merck KGaA; Amgen Inc.; Pfizer; and Novo Nordisk A/S are continuously taking efforts for the development of new drugs. For instance, in May 2016, Eli Lilly and Company launched the Taltz (ixekizumab) injection for the treatment of plaque psoriasis (moderate-to-severe) in the U.S. In addition, in October 2016, Merck KGaA received the U.S. FDA approval for its ZINPLAVA (bezlotoxumab) injection.

The medical device segment is the second largest segment and is projected to grow with lucrative CAGR during the study period. Various manufacturers are introducing advanced virus clearance products. For instance, Pall Corporation, a part of Danaher offers Breathing System Filter, which meets quality standards and ensures high performance in mechanical ventilation in anesthesia and intensive care.

Germany virus filtration market share, by application, 2016 (%)

End Use Insights

Biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies held the largest market share owing to increasing R&D activities, production of biologics, as well as growth in the biopharmaceutical industry. For instance, according to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, the biopharmaceutical industry in India is estimated to reach USD 11.6 billion by 2017 and more than USD 100 billion by 2025.

Usage of virus filtration technology is high in the U.S., Germany, UK, Japan, China, and India. Presence of big biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, well-developed healthcare infrastructure, as well as access to advanced products in these countries are some of the major factors contributing toward growth.

The CROs segment is expected to showcase highest growth during the forecast period due to the increased trend of outsourcing R&D and manufacturing to CROs. Increase in the number of vaccines and therapeutic protein manufacturing companies has resulted in the rising demand for outsourcing services that cater to the specific needs of these companies.

The medical devices segment is projected to witness significant CAGR during the forecast period. Viral removal products are widely used in various medical devices including anesthesia systems and ventilators. For instance, Humid-Vent HEPA is a mechanical viral and bacterial filterindicated for application in bacterial/viral filtration and humidification in ventilator and anesthesia systems.

Regional Insights

North America virus filtration market dominated the overall sector and is expected to maintain its dominance during the study period. The well-established biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry in the U.S. has spurred the demand for advanced viral clearance products for R&D and biologics production in this region.

Europe was the second largest market due to high demand for innovative virus filtration products for research and biologics development & production. In addition, highly developed healthcare infrastructure and investment of large amount of money in R&D, primarily in Germany, UK, and France are expected to drive the regional market.

Asia Pacific region is projected to exhibit highest CAGR during the forecast period due to growing number of road accidents and trauma cases. Presence of untapped growth opportunities in the rapidly growing Asian economies such as China, India, and Indonesia is estimated to propel the regional growth. Rising government support for industrialization, growing presence of CROs, availability of labor at low cost, and relatively less stringent regulatory environment are attracting manufacturers of biologics and medical devices for market expansion in these regions.

Competitive Insights

Several big companies operating in the industry are Merck KGaA; Sartorius; Danaher; Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.; Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.; GE Healthcare; Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Ltd.; WuXi PharmaTech; Lonza Group Ltd.; and Clean Cells. Major manufacturers provide advanced products through strong distribution channels across the globe. For instance, Sartorius has presence in more than 110 countries with around 30 sales offices and 20 manufacturing sites worldwide.

Leading manufacturers are involved in mergers & acquisitions, strategic collaborations, and novel product development to gain revenue share in the industry. Mergers & acquisitions help companies expand their existing businesses and geographical reach. For instance,in August 2015, Danaher Corporation completed the acquisition of Pall Corporation, a leading provider of virus filtration products.

New product launch is another major strategy acquired by companies to strengthen their position in the market. For instance, in October 2016, Pall Corporation, a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation launched Cadence BioSMB Process System for continuous and single-use biopharmaceutical production. This system provides continuous & easily scale-up of manufacturing procedures without changing process parameters, sorbents, or buffers.

Report Scope

Segments covered in the report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, & country levels and provides an analysis on the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global virus filtration market on the basis of product, technology, application, end use, and region:

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

  • Consumables

    • Kits and reagents

    • Others

  • Instruments

    • Filtration systems

    • Chromatography systems

  • Services

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

  • Filtration

  • Chromatography

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

  • Biologicals

    • Vaccines and therapeutics

    • Blood and blood products

    • Cellular and gene therapy products

    • Tissue and tissue products

    • Stem cell products

  • Medical devices

  • Water purification

  • Air purification

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

  • Biopharmaceutical & biotechnology companies

  • Contract research organizations

  • Medical devices companies

  • Academic institutes & research laboratories

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

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • MEA

    • South Africa

    • Saudi Arabia