The blood banking devices market will continue to post steady figures, aided by the industry's flexibility and adaptability to changing market needs and technological advancements
The blood banking devices market will continue to post steady figures, according to latest findings by Frost and Sullivan, the international marketing consulting company, aided by the industry's flexibility and adaptability to changing market needs, such as evolving safety regulations, attitudinal changes and revolutionary technological advancements.
Stimulated by the rapid expansion of the plasma products market, increasing indications for intravenous immunoglobulin and growing adoption of prophylactic treatment of haemophilia, revenues in the total European market for blood banking devices and plasma products are predicted to grow from $1.7 billion in 2001 to $2.9 billion in 2008.
In addition to the growing away trend from blood transfusion towards blood conservation, Frost and Sullivan's study highlights healthcare cost-containment, resulting in deepening consolidation and providing end-users with a higher degree of purchasing power, as a key factor depressing sales in the blood collection devices market.
To offset the effects of the dwindling stocks and the risks of rejection and disease associated with blood transfusions, surgeons are now implementing non-invasive surgical techniques and other procedural changes which mean that less blood is lost during surgery, and therefore lower volumes are required for retransfusion.
The past decade has seen rapid developments in blood product safety regulations, which is likely to be intensified through sustained research into the risks of blood-borne pathogens against a backdrop of mounting stakeholder safety concerns.
Tanya Pullen, research analyst at Frost and Sullivan, reports: "The advent of leukoreduction has drastically altered the landscape of the market over the last few years, and pathogen inactivation technology is expected to have an equally profound impact on the make-up of the blood banking arena.
The discovery of new applications for blood and plasma components will ensure the continued dynamism of the blood banking devices and plasma products market." Viral inactivation technologies for blood components will fuel the next wave of development in the blood banking devices and plasma products market.
"Pioneered by Baxter in relation with Cerus, Haemonetics in agreement with Vitex, and Gambro, the next generation of pathogen elimination technologies will cause the blood banking devices market to undergo further change within the next five years," Ms Pullen continues.
A total of 27 manufacturers, comprising medical device manufacturers and biopharmaceutical companies, were actively servicing the European market for blood banking devices and plasma products in 2001. Overall, the most significant market players were Baxter and Aventis Behring, commanding a combined market share of over 30%. All other market participants' individual share does not stretch beyond the 10% mark.
The study indicates that the market will witness a strong movement towards combining device production expertise and biopharmaceutical technology, as these companies strive to develop safer blood collection methods and blood substitutes.
Increasing indications for intravenous immunoglobulin, and higher usage of factor product, especially the more expensive recombinant products, will help maintain momentum behind the market for plasma products, valued at $2.55 billion in 2008.
Product shortages mean that prices remain high throughout Europe, Ms Pullen explains.
"Current conversion rates from plasma-derived to recombinant factor products are boosting average factor product pricing, while severe shortages of immunoglobulin, exacerbated by their currently high usage, means that prices are increasing at a very high rate.
Both of these trends are likely to continue over the forecast period, although expected to begin to stabilise towards the end of the period as prices become too high to be affordable in the current healthcare climate," she comments.
Manual collection of blood remains the most prolific method of blood collection, and thus, the devices applied in this process are of paramount importance to the blood banking industry.
However, revenues in this segment are currently experiencing a severe decrease, as the number of blood donations suffers a steep decline throughout Europe.
Although the continued uptake of premium-priced devices with inline filters in some countries is counteracting the downward trend slightly, general European healthcare cost-containment and subsequent price erosion dominates directions in pricing, further limiting sales potential. Meanwhile, the automated collection devices sector is forecast to display only marginal, but steady growth over the forecast period, as higher proportions of donated blood components are collected in this manner.
Disposables allowing automated plasma collection will emerge as the brightest stars in the automated collection devices arena.
Frost and Sullivan's study concludes that the rising safety factor associated with allogeneic blood components due to advances in pathogen inactivation and increased screening accuracy, will further dent the popularity of the autologous technology.
A long-term move away from autologous blood collection is likely to occur as 'bloodless' surgical techniques reduce the need for red blood cell replacement in the operating theatre.
Pricing pressures will compound the autologous collection devices market's woes.
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