Weak Pipeline Means No Breath of Fresh Air for Acute Respiratory Distress Treatment Market

Monday 2 July 2012, Amsterdam

Physicians are not holding their breath for the launch of new revolutionary treatments for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the near future, according to the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Therapeutics - Pipeline Assessment and Market Forecasts to 2019 new report.

The report shows that current drug research being made into the area by pharmaceutical companies has failed to reach the late stages of development, leaving patients without new treatments for this severe and often fatal condition.

ARDS is a reaction to a serious injury or infection in the lung, which leads to inflammation and impaired gas exchange, and can result in multiple organ failure. Mechanical ventilation and admission to an intensive care unit is generally required, but the condition can often be fatal.

While modern pharmacological treatment options are available to cure certain conditions that sometimes lead to ARDS, such as sepsis and pneumonia, currently there is no cure for ARDS itself. Instead, available treatment options only provide supportive treatment such as mechanical ventilation, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and low tidal volume ventilation, which all help to increase oxygen supply to the lungs.

There are no approved drugs for ARDS in the US or Europe, though Elaspol (sivelestat sodium hydrate) was approved for ARDS in Japan in 2002. Despite this clear gap in the market for effective treatments, there are no upcoming drugs in the late stage of the development pipeline.

The report estimates that the global ARDS therapeutics market was worth $612m in 2011, and forecasts growth at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1.3% to reach $681.1m by 2019. The market therefore offers huge potential for new drug entrants that can provide an improved safety profile.

This report identifies the key trends shaping and driving the global acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) market, and provides insights on the prevalent competitive landscape and the emerging players expected to significantly alter the market positioning of the current market leaders. Most importantly, the report provides valuable insights on the pipeline products within the global ARDS sector.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.