A drastic reduction in the total red blood cells or RBC count or hemoglobin is known as anemia. It can be defined as the inability to carry optimum amount of oxygen by the blood. Sickle-cell diseases (SCD) are types of blood disorders which are usually inherited genetically. One of the common types of SCDs is the sickle-cell anemia or SCA. It essentially gives rise to an irregularity in hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in the blood. Hemoglobin is found typically in the red blood cells of the body. As a result a sickle-like shaped cell is formed under certain conditions. Tribulations in sickle cell disease usually start to take shape at a very early age (within the first year of birth). This might lead to various health problems including pain attacks also known as the sickle-cell crisis, swelling in the limbs, microbial infections, and in certain cases, stroke. Chronic pain may develop with age. Sickle-cell diseases arise when an individual inherits abnormal copies of hemoglobin gene from each parent.

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2016, around 100,000 people in the U.S. are affected by sickle cell diseases or SCDs. Sickle cell diseases are very common among black or African Americans. Around 1 in 13 babies belonging to the race are born with sickle cell diseases. Growing prevalence of the disease will give rise to an increased demand for sickle cell disease prevention and cure, thereby augmenting the growth of the overall sickle cell anemia therapeutics market.

Sickle Cell Anemia Therapeutics Market

On the basis of type of medication, the global market is classified into:

Antibiotics



Pain-relieving medications



Hydroxyurea



Others

On the basis of end user, the global market is classified into:

Government



Hospitals



Private Clinics



Others

The National Center for Biotechnology Information says that sickle cell anemia is one of the most common hereditary hematological diseases among humans. Annually, around 250,000 children are born with the disease and it is among the most occurring epidemiological genetic diseases worldwide. Governments around the world, especially in Africa are taking initiatives to prevent and cure the disease as a result of which, huge investments on this field are expected in the coming years. This in turn will encourage the manufacturers around the world to manufacture in large quantities to meet the unmet demand thereby propelling the growth of the sickle cell anemia therapeutics market.

Increasing occurrence of the disease especially in the Africa region will drive the sickle cell anemia therapeutics market

According to the World Health Organization, around 5% of the population around the globe carries the gene for the sickle cell disease. This percentage is as high as 25% in some of the regions around the world. According to the same report, WHO has estimated that the occurrence of sickle cell disease is highest in the African region. To meet this crisis of high prevalence of the disease, WHO’s governing bodies has taken initiatives to address the same. Moreover, according to PLOS Medicine, the occurrence of sickle cell anemia is likely to rise by around 30% by 2050, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa. This rise in demand will eventually push the global sickle cell anemia therapeutics market into a positive growth trajectory over the course of the forecast period (2016-2024).

There is a growing need of early detection and prevention of curable diseases especially among the adults. This is going to be a key opportunity in the market as the percentage of adult population is increasing on a daily basis owing to the rise in life expectancy among the global population. Additionally, the demand for safe and efficacious treatments is gaining prevalence in the market. This factor coupled with unmet medical needs among the patients will fuel the growth of the global sickle cell anemia therapeutics industry.

Manufacturers around the world are competing on the availability of technologically advanced drugs for the treatment of sickle cell anemia. Key players operating in the global sickle cell anemia therapeutics market are Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlycoMimetics, Pfizer,Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc., GlycoMimetics, Inc., Eli Lilly, and Mast Therapeutics.Some of the other manufacturers are Daiichi Sankyo, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Bluebird Bio, HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals Inc., Emmaus Medical, HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals, Baxter, and Merck Sharp & Dohme.

Key Developments

Research and development of novel technologies that may aid in treatment of sickle cell anemia is expected to boost the market growth. For instance, in July 2019, researchers from Florida Atlantic University, in a study published in the journal ACS Sensors, demonstrated a microfluidic impedance assay that can monitor the dynamic cell sickling and unsickling processes. The novel technology is expected to improve the monitoring of sickle cell disease.

Key players in the market are focused on launching platform to screen drugs to treat sickle cell disease. For instance, in August 2019, ReachBio Research Labs started offering a drug screening platform to assess fetal hemoglobin protein induction in drug candidates for the treatment of sickle cell disease.

However, failing clinical trials for the treatment of sickle cell anemia are expected to hinder the market growth. For instance, in August 2019, Pfizer Inc. announced that the Phase III Rivipansel pivotal study, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rivipansel in patients aged six and older with sickle cell disease, failed to achieve its primary or key secondary efficacy endpoints.