Lateral Flow Assay Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, And Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The lateral flow assay market is projected to register a CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period, with a revenue of USD 7,533 million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 11,551 million by 2026.

The COVID-19 pandemic has a positive impact on the market. Instead of sending patient samples to the laboratory, the usage of lateral flow test kits can be convenient as they are smaller, portable, and can be controlled with minimal training. This makes them attractive for deployment outside of healthcare facilities, in low- and middle-income countries, or for those countries rolling out mass population screening programs. Even though they are less accurate than PCR tests, their low cost, speed, and ease of use make lateral flow tests particularly attractive to countries that do not have extensive laboratory facilities or trained health workers to easily conduct PCR tests for COVID-19 screening. Some countries, such as Slovakia and the United Kingdom are extensively using lateral flow tests as a means of mass screening programs. For example, the British government has been monitoring the use of the Innova SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test in Liverpool, which currently has high COVID-19 rates, and plans to roll it out nationwide.

A major factor contributing to market growth is the growing global rate of infectious diseases, HIV, cancer, which requires new diagnostic methods of effective treatment to end the growing mortality rate. For example, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), in 2019, 24.5 million people living with HIV are receiving antiretroviral treatment worldwide.

The technical advancements in the field of lateral flow assays (LFA) have also boosted the market growth. In recent years, major advances in LFA development have included novel signal enhancement techniques, the use of new labels, improved quantification systems and simultaneous detection. Some new techniques have been used to enhance the signal from gold nanoparticles (colloidal nanoparticles) GNPs have adopted silver enhancement technology or combinations of GNPs with an enzyme (such as horseradish peroxidase), which results in catalytic amplification of the signal.

Additionally, increased participation of the government to control the outbreaks of infectious diseases and the increasing awareness programs to enhance the spread of infections, diagnosis, and prevention, along with the launch of diagnosis systems at home care settings, are expected to contribute to the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

Key Market Trends

Clinical Testing, by Application is Expected to Hold the Largest Market Share in the Lateral Flow Assay Market

The pandemic has drastically increased launches and research in the field of clinical testing, bolstering the segment growth. Roche in September 2020, launched a SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test for markets accepting the CE Mark. The SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test is for use in point-of-care settings for both symptomatic and asymptomatic people. In October 2020, Access Bio launched Lateral Flow COVID-19 Antigen Test, the US FDA approved the product to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections.

The clinical testing segment is anticipated to hold the largest market share in the LFA market due to its importance in identifying the detection of the disease with a rise in the incidence of infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organization, Global Tuberculosis Report 2020, approximately 1.4 million people died from Tuberculosis-related illnesses in 2019 and nearly 10 million individuals developed tuberculosis in 2019. Hence, the growing burden of tuberculosis is expected to drive the need for rapid and affordable diagnostics, especially in developing countries, which aids in the growth of the studied market.

The increased demand for the segment is owing to an increase in the new approvals of self-test devices, such as Atomo HIV Self-Test, TRUSTline HIV-Ab/Ag 4th Gen Rapid Test, Dr Trust Hiv Sure, and others, developed in the recent years. These self-test devices and kits help the patients in assurance, earlier diagnosis, enhanced convenience, and ease of use, which are likely to fuel the market.

North America Dominates the Market and it is Expected to do the Same in the Forecast Period

North America is expected to dominate the overall LFA market throughout the forecast period owing to a rise in the incidence of various infectious diseases such as Lyme disease, tuberculosis, and an increased mortality rate associated with HIV/AIDS in the region. In North America, the United States holds the largest market share due to increased patient pool and high affordability with increasing disposable income.

The pandemic hit the region very hard and forced the government to mass screening programs boosting the market growth in the region. In 2020, Abbott Laboratories ramped up its production of coronavirus test kits, including a new tool that could enable mass Covid-19 screening. The company has thus announced that it's developing the fourth diagnostic test for the coronavirus: A “lateral flow” blood test that could provide mass testing to the general population

As per the US Department of Health & Human Services report published in January 2020, about 37,832 people in the United States were diagnosed with HIV in 2018, and 38,000 new HIV infections still occur in the United States. It has also been reported that there is a rapid spread of various infectious diseases such as meningitis, urinary tract infections necessitating the immediate diagnosis demanding the fast diagnostic test devices fueling the market. Furthermore, the increased adoption rate of advanced infrastructure, the volume of diagnostic centers, rise in awareness among the people are factors estimated to boost the market in the region, contributing to its outstanding share of the global market revenue during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The LFA market is moderately competitive and consists of several major players. Some of the companies are expanding their market position by adopting various strategies, such as mergers and acquisitions, while others are developing new test methods for the diagnosis and introducing new products to retain their market share. For instance, in February 2019, Abbott announced the availability of its latest rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT), BinaxNOW Influenza A & B Card 2, which was granted under the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for rapid detection of influenza virus, which is expected to have a positive impact on the market. Some of the companies which are currently dominating the market are Abbott Laboratories, Hologic Inc., Quidel Corporation, PerkinElmer Inc., and bioMerieux SA.

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