Acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market

Acute vulvovaginal candidiasis is a fungal/yeast infection, which is caused by some species of Candida, especially Candida albicans. Increasing cases of vulvovaginal candidiasis can be attributed to ageing, overuse of antibiotics, diabetes, etc. Doctors are involved in prescribing medicines on the basis of their efficiency in controlling acute vulvovaginal candidiasis among the patients. For instance, according to National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): 2018, clotrimazole, nystatin, and fluconazole are the most commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of acute vulvovaginal candidiasis. Apart from these drugs, other drugs such as Miconazole, Ketoconazole, Terbinafine, Terconazole, and others are also available in the market.

Global Acute Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Treatment Market - Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic is expected to hamper growth of the global acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market during the forecast period. According to the Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, June 6, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the conduction of clinical trials due to unavailability of trial site staff, restrictions for travelling, investigational product availability, and others. These challenges are hindrances for developing new treatment for acute vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Incidence of candidiasis among the patients in the intensive care unit is increasing. For instance, according to the MDPI, Journal of Fungi: September 11, 2020, candidiasis (oropharyngeal candidiasis or vulvovaginitis candidiasis, invasive candidiasis, and others) is one of the reasons for causing mortality in 19 – 40% of patients in the ICU. The COVID-19 positive patients are usually treated in the ICU, and the recovery rate may be affected due to the occurrence of candidiasis in such patients.

The global acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market is estimated to be valued at US$ 308.0 Mn in 2020 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 3.0% over the forecast period (2020-2027).

Figure 1: Global Acute Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Treatment Market Share (%) Analysis, By Drug Type, 2020

Increasing prevalence of acute vulvovaginal candidiasis is expected to drive growth of the global acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market over the forecast period

Increasing incidence of acute vulvovaginal candidiasis among the population is expected to drive growth of the global market over the forecast period. For instance, according to the article published in the Lancet Journal, Infectious diseases segment: 2018, globally, approximately 138 million women suffer from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (relapse of acute vulvovaginal candidiasis, at least three times, within twelve months) and 3,871 per 100,000 women suffer from vulvovaginal candidiasis every year. According to the same source, it is also estimated that by 2030, 158 million women are expected to be affected by vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Increasing product launches for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis is expected to drive growth of the acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market over the forecast period

Market players are engaged in launching new products for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis, which is expected to drive growth of the acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market over the forecast period. For instance, on July 16, 2020, Cadila Pharmaceuticals launched Fenticonazole Nitrate Vaginal Capsules under the brand name, Fenticad,(600 mg), for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. The Fenticad capsules are 35% cost-effective as compared to the already available capsules in the market.

Global Acute Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Treatment Market – Restraints

Increasing resistance for antifungal drugs among the population is one of the factors that is expected to restrain growth of the market. For instance, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 2017, the resistance due to fluconazole, an antifungal drug, may differ upon the type of infection caused by the Candida species. Moreover, in Asia Pacific, the fluconazole resistance for different Candida species ranges from 0% to 83%.

Furthermore, increasing exposure of fluconazole during pregnancy increases the chances of abortions and still births. For instance, according to the article published in NCBI: 2019, fluconazole was tested on 441,949 pregnant women, out of which 320,868 pregnancies had spontaneous abortions, 226,599 pregnancies had major congenital malformations, and 7,832 pregnancies resulted in still births. The above factor is expected to restrain the global acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market growth over the forecast period.

Global Acute Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Treatment Market – Regional Analysis

North America is expected to hold dominant position in the global acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market over the forecast period, owing to the provision of reimbursement policy for the diagnosis and testing of vaginal fungal infection. For instance, according to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a federation of 36 U.S. health insurance companies, it provides reimbursement policy for the diagnosis of vulvovaginal candidiasis in patients who show symptoms of the infection. The reimbursement is also provided for the patients who receive negative results for the tests conducted.

Moreover, Europe is also an emerging region for the acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market, owing to the increasing prevalence of vaginal fungal infections among the population. For instance, according to the article published in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 2019, in Sweden, it has been estimated that 17% of the total population suffer from fungal infections. Moreover, out of the total population, 49.8% constitutes female population. In the study, it was prevalent that the recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis is very common and out of the total female population, 6% of the females suffer from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Figure 2: Global Acute Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Treatment Market (US$ Mn), by Region, 2020

Global Acute Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Treatment Market – Competitive Landscape

Major players operating in the global acute vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment market include Mycovia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Scynexis, Inc., Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd., Astellas Pharma Inc., Grupo Ferrer Internacional, S.A., Pacgen Life Science Corporation, NovaDigm Therapeutics, Inc., Cidara Therapeutics, Inc., Amplyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Pfizer, Inc.