The global antibody drug conjugates market size was valued at USD 6.48 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 24.26 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 15.80% during the forecast period (2023–2031).
ADCs, or antibody-drug conjugates, are drugs explicitly created to give chemotherapy to cancer cells. ADCs, administer chemotherapy by combining a linker with a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a particular target expressed in cancer cells. A deadly chemical is released into the cancer cell when the ADC attaches to its intended target (a cancer protein or receptor). The most common kinds of antibody-drug conjugates include linkers, medicines or poisons, monoclonal antibodies, and others.
By cloning a single white blood cell, monoclonal antibodies are produced. Every additional antibody produced in this way can be linked to a single parent cell. Adcertis, Kadcyla, and other medications fall under this category. These products use various technologies, including Seattle genetics, immunogen, immunomedics, etc. It is used in hospitals, clinics, and other facilities to treat a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, blood cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and brain tumors.
The increasing prevalence of cancer is one of the key factors driving market growth over the forecast period. Cancer is the second most prominent cause of death worldwide, according to the WHO. In 2020, the incidence of cancer reached 19.3 million, and projected deaths due to cancer were 9.96 million. In addition, the International Agency for Research on Cancer predicts that by 2025, there will be 21.9 million new cancer cases, and by 2030, there will be 24.6 million. The above figure exhibits significant growth in the number of cancer cases worldwide.
Additionally, the high prevalence of cancer in emerging economies is creating a substantial demand for ADCs. According to GLOBOCAN, in 2020, approximately 49.2% of global cancer cases were registered in Asia. Therefore, this region remains a significant untapped market for ADCs. Further, the overall increase in the prevalence of cancer will likely boost the number of patients undergoing treatment, which increases the need for early diagnosis and treatment. This increase in the incidence of cancer is likely to boost ADCs globally.
The number of elderly people living worldwide is continuously on the rise. As a result, it is at a high risk of developing numerous diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, obesity, and diabetes. According to a UN report, in 2020, there were about 727 million people aged 65 years and above globally. In addition, the number of individuals aged 80 years and above is projected to double by 2050, reaching more than 1.5 billion globally. Likewise, according to WHO, life expectancy is now exceeding 80 years in most developed economies.
Furthermore, aging is influenced by several environmental and genetic factors and is characterized as the single most substantial risk factor for cancer. Based on US National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database, 38% of women and 43% of men are estimated to develop cancer during their lifetime. Also, nearly two-thirds of all new cancer cases are diagnosed in people aged 65 years and above, showing that aging can make people more vulnerable to cancer. This significant prevalence is anticipated to propel the ADC market over the forecast period.
Reimbursement policies play a significant role in most developed economies. ADC drugs typically incur high costs in manufacturing and R&D; consequently, they are costlier than alternative conventional treatments, such as monoclonal antibody therapy and chemotherapy. This higher cost of treatment is expected to impede reimbursement coverage. For instance, in February 2020, National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, Ireland, gave a negative review of Roche's Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine) for reimbursement consideration due to its low cost-effectiveness.
In contrast, some countries considered such costly ADC drugs for reimbursement due to high disease prevalence. In April 2021, UK's Cancer Drug Fund approved Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) to reimburse Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) treatment. However, countries such as Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have yet to provide reimbursement approval. Furthermore, the need for more availability of reimbursement policies in developing economies, such as India, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, is further expected to restrict the market. All these factors can collectively hamper the overall market during the forecast period.
Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) are a novel category of drugs composed of an antibody linked—via a chemical linker—to a cytotoxic drug. Conventional chemotherapy is intended to eradicate fast-growing tumor cells. However, it can also damage healthy proliferating cells, producing undesirable effects. In contrast, ADC is designed to upsurge treatment efficacy and decrease systemic toxicity. Significant players like Seagen. Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, and others collaborate to develop and commercialize these products.
For instance, in October 2018, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Seagen. Inc. (previously Seattle Genetics, Inc.) announced that Adcetris met the primary endpoint of phase 3 clinical trials for treating CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Additionally, in July 2020, AstraZeneca collaborated with Daiichi Sankyo to develop and commercialize new ADC products. This helped AstraZeneca expand its ADC product portfolio. Most companies are conducting clinical trials to gain label expansion for their already approved products, creating tremendous opportunities for the market's growth.
| Study Period | 2019-2031 | CAGR | 15.80% |
| Historical Period | 2019-2021 | Forecast Period | 2023-2031 |
| Base Year | 2022 | Base Year Market Size | USD 6.48 Billion |
| Forecast Year | 2031 | Forecast Year Market Size | USD 24.26 Billion |
| Largest Market | North America | Fastest Growing Market | Europe |
Based on region, the global antibody drug conjugates market share is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.
North America is the most significant shareholder in the global antibody drug conjugates market and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 21.3% during the forecast period. Increasing cancer cases and technological advancements will likely cause North America to grow significantly during the predicted period. The region is experiencing substantial growth due to countries in the area, like the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making technical improvements. Regarding clinical information, North America is a well-developed region. The use of ADCs is considered and makes up the lion's share of the established market. For instance, in April 2021, Pfizer purchased Amplyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. to create antibody-drug conjugates and other cancer medicines. High cancer incidence rates are common in North American nations.
Furthermore, the region's market is expanding due to the rising cancer incidence. For instance, the American Cancer Society predicts that 1.9 million new cancer cases will be discovered in the United States in 2022. The market for antibody-drug conjugates is also anticipated to expand in the nation over the projected period owing to the rising need for cancer medicines and the rising incidence of cancer patients.
Europe is projected to grow at a CAGR of 26.4% over the forecast period. The second-largest market for antibody-drug conjugates worldwide is in Europe. Cancer accounts for almost 25% of annual deaths in the United Kingdom, and the disease is becoming more common in other European nations, boosting the market's expansion there. The market expansion for antibody-drug conjugates is also anticipated to be aided by Germany's high healthcare spending and growing research institute population. Germany is expected to be one of Europe's large revenue-generating markets for ADCs. Furthermore, several German pharmaceutical manufacturers are trying to enter the ADC market by investing in R&D. For instance, Heidelberg Pharma and Tubulis have new ADC treatments in clinical and preclinical development. In July 2021, USD 12.3 million was raised by Tubulis, a German biotech company, for advancing research on ADCs and to particularly build on the research that identified linker chemistry to be more stable than the technology used in ADCs such as Seagen's (previously Seattle Genetics) Adcetris.
Asia-Pacific is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period. Emerging economies, rising investments in the biotechnology sector, bettering government initiatives, and quickly expanding clinical research and outsourcing sectors are all expected to contribute to the considerable expansion of the Asia-Pacific ADC market over the forecast period. In addition, improvements in healthcare facilities and R&D in drug development are anticipated to propel market growth. Further, cancer prevalence is expected to increase due to the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles and the increase in the older population over the forecast period. The region has several biotech companies with multiple ADC products in their pipelines, along with manufacturing plants of companies that provide end-to-end manufacturing solutions. Moreover, publicly funded payment options are provided in some of the region's more advanced economies to combat the high occurrences of cancer therein. Therefore, growth in the region's market for ADC drugs is expected over the forecast period.
A growing cancer patient population characterizes Latin America's market due to demographic, environmental, and socioeconomic problems. The level of cancer care provided differs across countries based on the level of public funding for healthcare. Individuals living in countries such as Brazil, which provides free public health services, have wider access to ADC drugs because they are covered under the public healthcare system. Other countries such as Mexico and Argentina have approved ADC drugs; however, a wide-scale benefit is not delivered due to larger populations, lack of adequate planning for cancer at the national level, regional differences in the levels of care, and unequal coverage across different insurance providers. However, given the growing awareness of cancer among the leading countries in Latin America, the level of cancer care is expected to improve over the coming years, leading to growth in the region's ADC market.
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The global antibody drug conjugates market growth is segmented by technology and application.
Based on technology, the global antibody drug conjugates market is divided into non-cleavable linkers, cleavable linkers, and linkerless.
The cleavable linkers segment is responsible for the largest market share and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.1% over the forecast period. Cleavable linkers play a vital role in the success of ADCs. They take advantage of tumor cells' inherent characteristics to release cytotoxins from ADCs selectively. In addition, they remain stable in the bloodstream for an extended period. The three commonly used methods for removing cytotoxic drugs from ADCs are pH sensitivity, protease sensitivity, and glutathione sensitivity. However, the stability of cleavable hydrazone linkers used in the first approved ADC drug Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin), came under scrutiny when the drug was found to have higher cytotoxicity than standard chemotherapy.
Further, the cleavable linker category is likely to develop the fastest over the projected time due to the technology's widespread use in currently approved products. Most of the pipeline and commercially available ADCs consist of cleavable linkers. For instance, as of May 2021, of all approved ADCs, more than 70% had cleavable linkers.
ADCs produced using a non-cleavable linker rely on the ADC's lysosomal degradation, which releases the cytotoxic molecules after the ADC molecule has been internalized in the target cell. This prevents the non-specific release of the drug, thus reducing the overall cytotoxicity of the ADC to surrounding healthy cells. Consequently, non-cleavable linkers rely more on the target cells' biology than cleavable linkers. This is one of the reasons expected to drive this segment during the forecast period. Kadcyla and Blenrep use non-cleavable linkers to bind the antibody and cytotoxic substance among the currently approved ADCs. Non-cleavable linker was the second largest revenue-generating segment in 2022 due to the increased usage of Kadcyla, which contains a non-cleavable linker.
Based on application, the global antibody drug conjugates market is segmented into blood cancer, breast cancer, urothelial cancer, and other cancers.
The breast cancer segment owns the highest market share and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 24.7% during the forecast period. Breast cancer was the largest revenue-generating segment due to the high usage of Kadcyla, profitable pipeline products, and the rising prevalence of cancer. In December 2019, Roche received approval from FDA for Kadcyla, an ADC, for the adjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early breast cancer patients with the residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy. This approval for treating early-stage disease is expected to boost product sales. Strategic collaboration between companies for clinical trials and new drug development is further expected to boost the market. In addition, most of the companies in the market are currently conducting clinical trials to obtain label expansion for approved products. The approval of these label expansions and the entry of ADCs in earlier lines of therapy are factors expected to boost market growth.
The second leading cause of cancer fatalities worldwide is blood cancer, the fifth most frequent cancer. The blood cancer segment was the second-largest revenue-generating segment due to increasing incidence, the development of novel therapies, and many products for treating blood cancer in the market. The segment growth can be attributed to the increasing penetration of products such as Adcetris, Besponsa, and Mylotarg. Furthermore, the segment is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period due to new product launches and promising products under Phase III trials. For instance, a new product, Polivy, was launched in October 2019 to treat Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). Due to the product's favorable clinical trial findings and breakthrough treatment designation, it is anticipated to increase its market share during the projection period.
