Artemisinin Antimalarial Drugs Market Trends

Growth Drivers:

• Shift towards combination therapies: The growing need for advanced therapeutic approaches is fuelling the demand for artemisinin-based combination therapies. Combination therapies enhance the effectiveness of treatment offering improved patient care. Many studies estimate that artemisinin-based combination therapies are first-line treatments for uncomplicated malaria, which increases their adoption rate and boosts overall market growth. Many pharma companies are actively investing in research and development activities to create advanced formulations and combinations to improve therapeutic profiles. For instance, in November 2023, Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announced the decision to move to a Phase 3 study for an innovative ganaplacide/lumefantrine-SDF combination to treat uncomplicated malaria among children and adults.
• Advancements in drug formulations and delivery: Innovations in drug delivery systems such as long-acting injectables and formulations are expected to augment the artemisinin antimalarial drugs market growth in the coming years. The long-acting injectables offer sustained release of the active ingredient for a longer time, which reduces the frequency of dosing. These innovative injectables are expected to be beneficial in malaria-endemic regions where adherence to daily oral regimens can be challenging. Also, the integration of nanotechnology in medicine formulations can improve drug solubility and stability, contributing to overall market growth.
  
  For instance, in October 2023, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health revealed that their researchers are working on the development of atovaquone-based long-acting antimalarial injectables. Such innovations are expected to aid in enhancing malaria patient care.

Challenges:

• Resistance to artemisinin antimalarial drugs: The increasing resistance of malaria to artemisinin and its derivatives is expected to significantly hamper the market growth in the coming years. Adaption can majorly reduce the effectiveness of artemisinin-based treatments.
• Strict and lengthy approval processes: Strict rules and lengthy product approval procedures hinder the introduction of new drug formulations. Such stringent regulatory approvals significantly hamper the profit shares of the market players as they might not grab trending opportunities through product launches. Many small pharma companies or start-ups witness huge losses as they have invested high in research and development for innovative antimalarial drugs.