Market Trends of Nucleic Acid Based Therapeutics Industry
Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASOs) Segment is Expected to Witness Significant Growth Over the Forecast Period
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are short, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that can bind to specific messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences, leading to the degradation of the targeted mRNA or inhibition of its translation into protein. This property makes ASOs a promising therapeutic strategy for a variety of diseases, including genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and cancer. These can target specific disease-causing genes, such as those responsible for the production of abnormal proteins or enzymes that contribute to disease progression.
Some examples of approved ASO therapies include Spinraza (nusinersen) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, Exondys51 (eteplirsen) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Onpattro (patisiran) for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis, and Tegsedi (inotersen) for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis.
The ASOs segment is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period due to the high demand for antisense oligonucleotide drugs, increasing R&D activities by key players, and new product launches.
The increasing focus of the companies to adopt various business strategies such as partnerships, collaborations, acquisitions, and other initiatives to accelerate the R&D of novel therapeutics for rare and genetic disorders is anticipated to fuel the segment's growth. For instance, in September 2022, Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. and OliPassCorporation entered an R&D collaboration agreement to jointly develop a set of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) molecules based on modified peptide nucleic acids. In February 2021, the US FDA approved Sarepta's Amondys 45 (casimersen) injection for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients with a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene.
Therefore, the segment is expected to grow over the forecast period due to the availability of several antisense oligonucleotide products in the market, increasing company activities, and new product launches.
North America is Expected to Have the Significant Market Share Over the Forecast Period
North America is expected to hold a significant share of the market due to the growing research on various nucleic acid-based therapies, the increasing prevalence of genetic disorders and other chronic disorders, and growing R&D investments in the region.
The rising prevalence of autoimmune diseases among the population increases the demand for nucleic acid-based therapies, which may augment the market's growth. For instance, as per the Autoimmune Association in June 2022, autoimmune diseases comprise approximately 80-150 unique, chronic conditions and affect more than 31 million Americans annually. This shows the high burden of autoimmune disorders among the target population. As per an article published in the Clinical Rheumatology Journal in February 2023, the burden of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) is large in Canada, affecting between 2 and 5 cases per 1,000 residents.
The increasing burden of cancer raises the demand for effective and novel drugs that inhibit the progression of cancer cells. This fuels the demand for nucleic acid-based drugs in the region. For instance, according to the Cancer Facts and Figures 2023, about 1.9 million new cancer cases are estimated to be diagnosed in the country in 2023. According to the statistics updated by the Government of Canada in June 2022, nearly 233,900 people in Canada were estimated to be diagnosed with cancer by the end of 2022, and lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers were predicted to be the most diagnosed cancers among the target population in Canada.
The innovative product launches and approvals, partnerships, acquisitions, expansions, and collaborations are anticipated to fuel the market's growth in the region. For instance, in September 2022, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) invested USD 10.5 million in a USD 34.8 million project led by OmniaBio Inc. and partners ExCellThera, MorphoCell Technologies, Aspect Biosystems, and Canadian Advanced Therapies Training Institute (CATTI). In December 2021, Novartis AG received approval from the FDA for Leqvio (inclisiran), the first and only small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapy to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as bad cholesterol or LDL-C) with two doses a year, after an initial dose and one at three months.
