Emergence of COVID-19 Is Expected to Augment the Apheresis Market Growth

 

Apheresis is an innovative medical procedure where the blood is extracted from the patient's body and then desired blood components (such as platelets, plasma, white cells, and red cells) are separated based on their weight and size. Depending on the cause of apheresis, one of these components is isolated and collected, while the other components are returned to the body. Apheresis is a blood purification procedure performed for blood donation component or for the treatment of disease.

It is performed for various diseases such as hematological, autoimmune, renal, cardiovascular, neurological, and more. In the apheresis procedure, the centrifuge therapeutic devices are used to separate desired blood components from the donor’s blood. These blood components are separated based on their characteristics such as affinity for substance, molecular weight, and size among other factors.

Market Dynamics

The emergence of COVID-19 is expected to propel the growth of the apheresis market. For instance, according to the Food and Drug Control Administration (Gujarat, India), there were 13 plasma apheresis units in the state before the pandemic, now the number has jumped to 28 to meet the requirement of plasma used in convalescent plasma therapy. Moreover, worldwide, as of 9:47am CET, 13 January 2021, there have been 90,054,813 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,945,610 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Moreover, increasing prevalence or incidences of chronic diseases, rising number of complex surgical procedures, increasing demand for convalescent plasma therapy, and the favorable reimbursement policies are also expected to drive the growth of the apheresis market.

The apheresis market is witnessing significant M&A activities. For instance, in March 2020, Asahi Kasei Medical completed acquisition of Veloxis Pharmaceuticals to expand its product portfolio and strengthen its market position.

However, the high cost of apheresis treatment and risk associated with apheresis such as anticoagulant reactions, infection, and fluid transfer complications is expected to restrain the apheresis market growth.

Competitive Analysis

Major players active in the apheresis market are HemaCare Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Therakos, Inc., Haemonetics Corp., Fenwal Inc., Terumo BCT Inc., and Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Ltd.

Major players active in the market are adopting various strategies such as business expansion to strengthen their market position. For instance, in December 2020, Marken announced the launch of two new facilities, such as a new pharmaceutical depot in Ukraine and apheresis kit-building facility in the United States.