Terminal Sterilization Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Rising number of surgical procedures - Sterile tissues or objects that come into direct touch with the bloodstream including surgical gloves and tools should be sterilized utilizing terminal sterilization cycles inside stiff sterilization containers, wrappers, or primary packaging to preserve the instruments' sterility and enable them to be preserved for later use. Therefore, a rise in surgical procedures corresponds to an increase in the usage of terminal sterilization. As per estimates, more than 300 million major surgical procedures are carried each annually worldwide.

•  Growing geriatric population - Older adults have weakened immune systems which makes them more vulnerable to infections, leading to a higher demand for terminal sterilization to ensure that medical devices are free from viable microorganisms. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of individuals 60 years of age and over will reach 2.1 billion worldwide by 2050.

• Increasing prevalence of chronic-infectious diseases - Terminal sterilization services will become more in demand as a result of the increased prevalence of autoimmune illnesses, cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases. This is particularly true as the need for terminal sterilization will rise as the prevalence of infectious diseases like bacterial and viral infections rises. For instance, the age-standardized total diabetes prevalence is predicted to rise by over 59% globally between 2021 and 2050.
• Surging need for vaccines - Pharmaceutical infusions and injections are terminally sterilized in an industrial setting using saturated steam at 121 °C to guarantee the absence of microbiological contaminants such as bacteria or fungi when the product is utilized.

Challenges

• Stringent rules and regulations - The manufacturer who manufactures sterile pharmaceutical products using terminal sterilization should adhere to the standards for efficient quality recognized by the FDA, which can be demanding and costly.
• Requirement of appropriate sterilization method - Sterilizing goods in their final container is known as terminal sterilization; however, certain containers run the risk of rupturing, distorting, or becoming unstable while being sterilized at the terminal, which may result in prolonged delays and increased expenses for producers.
• Expensive and time-consuming procedure, which may impact overall production.