Global Market for Alzheimer’s Disease to Decline to $9.5 Billion by 2017

Every second a new person in the United Stated develops Alzheimer’s disease. This astonishing statistic has become a reality for the 5.4 million Americans now living with this debilitating neurological disease.

Alzheimer’s disease primarily affects men and women over the age of 65 and the likelihood of being diagnosed with the disease increases substantially with age. In fact, 6.48% of adults over the age of 85 are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease each year as compared with only .08% of those between the ages of 60 and 65.

 RSS Feeds – Pharmaceuticals

With the percentage of adults over the age of 65 expected to grow worldwide over the next 40 years, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to more than double, jumping from 21 million cases in 2010 to 53 million in 2050.

This exponential increase in the expected number of patients presenting with Alzheimer’s disease not only represents a major area of unmet medical need, it represents a significant market opportunity for therapeutics and diagnostics as there is currently no fully effective method of treating the disease.

While the BCC Research forecast for Alzheimer’s disease shows an upward trend in most segments, the expirations of some key disease-modifying therapeutics including Aricept, Exelon, and Namenda and the introduction of generic alternatives for these drugs is expected to flatten the market.

Apart from the introduction of Aricept 15 years ago, there have been no major advancements in disease-modifying therapies. The market is just waiting for the next big innovation in Alzheimer’s disease treatment and management.

According to BCC Research’s report, Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutics and Diagnostics: Global Markets, the global market for Alzheimer’s disease reached $10.2 billion in 2012, and is expected to decrease at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -1.5% to reach $9.5 billion in 2017.

The market segment expected to see the most growth is Diagnostics and Biomarkers.

Currently, there is no definitive way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease until post-mortem. However, recent research has revealed linkages between certain enzymes and proteins and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, paving the way for not only more advanced methods of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, but also more effective gene- and enzyme-based treatments.

One such enzyme, Choline Acetyltransferase, has been identified as a key component in memory functionality.

Studies have shown that using drugs to block the production of this enzyme in healthy individuals leads to memory impairment similar to that seen in Alzheimer’s patients. However, attempts to correct the deficit in Alzheimer’s patients, while successful in animals, have yet to prove successful in humans.

With the global population aging and an expected exponential increase in Alzheimer’s disease cases, the stage is set for savvy market players to capture significant market share.

Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutics and Diagnostics: Global Markets presents a comprehensive analysis of the current pipeline of therapeutic and diagnostic technologies, analyzes the market and forecasts for Alzheimer’s therapeutics and diagnostics, and outlines the key factors that will influence this therapeutic area over the next several decades.

    

Global Molecular, Atomic and Nanoscale Imaging Market to Reach Nearly $4.4 Billion in 2017

The global molecular, atomic and nanoscale imaging market is expected to grow from nearly $3.1 billion in 2011 to $4.4 billion by 2017 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8% from 2012 to 2017. The increasing aging population and life expectancy, the increasing incidence of chronic diseases, and technological advancements are driving the medical imaging market.

Electron and ion microscopy had the largest market share (49%) in 2011. Imaging probes (fluorescent and bioluminescent probes and nanoparticles and quantum dots) had the smallest market with an approximately 11% share in the same year in the molecular, atomic, and nanoscale imaging market.
Lack of regulations and liberalization of many of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region have opened up prospective opportunities for microscopes in several end-user industries.

 RSS Feeds – Advanced materials

The demand of effective microscopy techniques is increasing in these regions due to the progressive shift of manufacturing facilities in the semiconductor manufacturing and electronics industries. Additionally, the greater emphasis on quality levels in industrial and biological research activities has augmented the demand for effective and advanced microscopy techniques.

The electron microscopes market is bigger than that of ion microscopes. A wide range of applications of electron microscopes is the driving factor for this market. Product innovations and increasing applications are also driving the market for electron microscopes.

The fluorescent and bioluminescent probes market is larger than the nanoparticles and quantum dots markets. Commercially available quantum dots are promising competitors of fluorescent and bioluminescent probes. Therefore, the market for quantum dots is increasing at a higher growth rate than the fluorescent and bioluminescent probes market. The optical and thermal market is growing and is experiencing an oligopoly market structure. Pharmaceutical companies and academic research labs are the major end users of optical imaging systems. Due to their relatively low cost, optical imaging systems are preferred over the other kinds of microscopes.

BCC Research’s goal in conducting this study, GLOBAL MARKETS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOLECULAR NANOSCALE AND ATOMIC IMAGING (NAN046B) is to provide an overview of the current and future characteristics of the global markets and technologies for molecular, nanoscale, and atomic imaging. The key objective is to present the future direction and comprehensive analysis for the molecular, nanoscale, and atomic imaging technologies markets, and their positions in the overall global imaging market.

This report explores present and future strategies within the global markets and technologies for molecular, nanoscale, and atomic imaging, including the electron and ion microscope market, the imaging probes market, the scanning probes market, and the optical and thermal imaging market. The improvisation of the market, and the setbacks and needs of the market are discussed in this report. The comparisons, usage, and the advantages and disadvantages of different types of technologies related to molecular, nanoscale, and atomic imaging also are portrayed in this report.