Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Inhibitors Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Affordable medical interventions: The proven effectiveness of the products from the market makes them preferable for affordable healthcare applications. This also compels the manufacturers of drugs to seek various forms of clinical trials, further intensifying the study of their potential. As per a report by NLM 2024 December, in other bevacizumab biosimilars trials as induction therapy for first-line in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients, the objective response rate (ORR) ranges from 49% to 56%, and median progression-free survival (PFS) is approximately 11 months. These optimistic findings indicate the therapeutic value of VEGF inhibitors and warrant further development of these as cost-effective drugs in the market.
• Technological advancements: Another key driver for the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors market is the technological advancements in the therapeutic sector. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology has revolutionized patient management. AI-based devices are able to generate patient-level prognostic data and predict the requirements of a patient's individual treatment, reducing the time to optimize a patient's treatment regimen. As per a report by the SEC in November 2024, the global market for anti-VEGF therapy is expanding. The market for branded anti-VEGF was approximately USD 14 billion in 2023. These indicate the enormous role played by innovation in generating VEGF inhibitor therapies.
• Rising incidence of age-related macular degeneration: As the global population continues to age, the number of persons who could be affected with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is increasing. Since VEGF is instrumental in the formation of abnormal blood vessels in wet AMD, the prevailing treatment is the administration of inhibitors of VEGF. Increased awareness of AMD and the potential for irreversible vision loss has led to increased screening and diagnosis rates. Thus, with increased diagnosis of patients comes a greater demand for methods that can effectively slow down or stop the progression of the disease. This recent trend shall cause the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors market to grow, with regions having larger elderly populations showing much more growth.

Biosimilar Adoption and Clinical Equivalence in VEGF Inhibitor Therapies

Clinical Trial Comparison of Overall Response Rate and Efficacy Between Bevacizumab Biosimilar (Encoda) and Bevacizumab (2024)

Source: NLM, December 2024

Challenge

• Pricing limitations by governing bodies: The challenge of pricing has remained one of the crucial obstacles that impede the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors market from tapping into an optimum consumer base. These price controls, in many places, are stringent for bevacizumab biosimilars and for other VEGF inhibitors, thus posing serious impediments to manufacturers in the successful formulation and marketing of these drugs. This has often led to discrepancies in access to treatment, as reimbursement options and coverage differ from one country to another. Hence, these pricing limitations restrict the capacity of the market to gain profitable penetration and consequently limit the availability of VEGF inhibitors to patients who need these suppressor medicines.
• Stringent regulatory requirements: The market faces significant challenges owing to the various stringent regulatory frameworks in place across distinct countries. All new drugs and biosimilars must undergo clinical trials and expensive procedures that can set back the launch of the product and add to development expenses. There are other set standards in each region, which put a further level of difficulty on entering the market. The regulatory environment holds back the speed of getting new therapeutic alternatives for VEGF inhibitors to patients and, hence, slows down the growth of the market.