The increasing utilization of artemisinin in the pharmaceutical industry is expected to drive significant growth in the global market over the next few years. The WHO has recognized Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) as a first-line of treatment for malaria as a result of the rising product demand since the last 10 years. The need for the product and related items is a result of growing R&D activities and medical infrastructure, particularly in developing countries such as China and India.
The treatment combines an artemisinin derivative with an important medication, where the product helps to lower the amount of parasites and the medication helps to lower the remaining parasites. The medicines that are combined include artesunate-mefloquine, dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine, and artemether-lumefantrine, which determine the effectiveness of the treatment.
According to Business Research Insights, the global artemisinin market size was valued at USD 51 million in 2020 and is projected to reach a valuation of USD 140.8 million by 2027 with a CAGR of 15.6% during the forecast period. The market has leading players such as Sanofi, KPC Pharmaceuticals, Kerui Nanhai, Guangxi Xiancaotang, Guilin Pharmaceutical, Novartis AG, and Ipca Laboratories.
Historical Landscape:
After the parental artemisinin was isolated in 1971 in China, the medication was quickly revealed to be a highly effective antimalarial drug. The synthesis of the compound combines rapid, potent antimalarial activity with a high healing index and lack of clinically relevant resistance. Such medications satisfy the critical need to discover effective treatments for multi-drug resistant malaria and have recently received support for broad disposition. To determine whether the stubbornly high frequency of this condition can be controlled, comparative evaluations of artesunate and quinine for mild malaria are currently being improved.
Business Research Insights States the Top 3 Companies Operating in the Market
1. Sanofi
Prescription drugs and vaccination injections are two businesses that Sanofi, a well-known pharmaceutical company, operates. It contributes to the development of pharmaceuticals and treatments for cardiovascular, metabolic, oncological, and thrombotic conditions.
2. Novartis AG
Since its foundation in 1895, Novartis AG has been engaged in the research and development, engineering, and marketing of healthcare products in a number of fields, including neurology, ophthalmology, immunology, hepatology, respiratory, cardiology, dermatology, and cardio metabolic.
3. Ipca Laboratories Ltd.
An Indian pharmaceutical company called Ipca Laboratories produces approximately 350 formulations and 80 APIs for a range of medicinal indications.
Benefits and Challenges of ACT:
The advantages of ACTs are increased effectiveness, quick participation, and reduced likelihood of causing blockage. It is risky to enquire about service, admission, and pricing hitches to make the most of them, especially when there may be no alternative for many years.
The difficulties with common commodities and raw materials also have an impact on the economies. The majority of the world's supply of artemisinin, the primary raw material used to make injectable artesunate, the preferred treatment for severe malaria, and combination therapies like ACTs, which the WHO recommends for treating uncomplicated malaria, comes from agricultural sources.
Cost-effective Solutions:
The recombinant DNA and hereditary manufacturing technology revolutions have significantly changed today's medications. Recombinant proteins are being effectively used to treat illnesses such as diabetes. These proteins are produced through the genetic engineering of bacteria, which may then be industrially fermented to produce large quantities of inexpensive, clean, and effective biotherapeutics. Unfortunately, the treatment of infectious diseases, which predominantly impact huge populations in underdeveloped countries, has not yet been made possible by protein therapy techniques.
Clinical Applications:
Derivatives of artemisinins are used to treat both mild and severe malaria in both adults and children. In a study of more than 500 women treated with the medication in Thailand, there was no increase in the rate of abortion, congenital abnormality, or stillbirth compared to background incidences in this population, which has historically raised some initial concerns about the safety of the product in pregnant women (a population that is particularly at risk from malaria). There were no discernible negative effects after gestation when artesunate was introduced to an intermittent pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine regimen in pregnant women in the Gambia. However, information about the use of the medication during the first trimester of pregnancy is still lacking, and more practice is required before recommendations can be made with certainty.
Future Landscape:
Artemisinins have been used experimentally for many years, much like many other medications, even though it is unclear how they work and what their pharmacokinetic characteristics are. Their excellent parasite clearance kinetics, which are better than those of other widely used antimalarials, have a tendency to sway empirical assessments of efficacy and the best method of administration. However, if the only fundamental and trustworthy indicators of efficacy are mortality rates for mild and severe malaria and cure rates for those conditions, then the current medications have ways to go before they can be said to offer a clear cut advantage over other antimalarial combinations in some geographical areas.