Global STD Diagnostics - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

The Global STD Diagnostics Market size is estimated at USD 16.98 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 23.91 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 7.08% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a significant impact on sexually transmitted disease diagnostics. According to the Quest Diagnostics 2020 Health Trends, published by researchers from Penn State University in 2021, screening rates for diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia went down during the COVID-19 pandemic and the weekly positivity rates increased. The researchers found out that testing and screening for sexually transmitted infections had decreased by 63% for men and 59% for women during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. The researchers also found out that STI testing decreased between late February 2020 to early April 2020 by as much as 40%. Thus, the decrease in testing, due to lockdowns and lack of access to testing facilities might have an impact on the STD diagnostics market.

The growing prevalence of STDs globally, increase in patient awareness through education campaigns, and growing government initiatives are anticipated to drive market growth. The report published by the World Health Organization in November 2021, reported that more than 1.0 million sexually transmitted infections are acquired globally and most of them are asymptomatic. It also reported that every year there are an estimated 374.0 million new infections with 1 out of 4 sexually transmitted infections: gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and syphilis. Therefore, such an increasing prevalence and incidence rate of sexually transmitted diseases across the globe is expected to increase the demand for STD diagnostics, thereby propelling the market growth over the forecast period.

Furthermore, HIV continues to be a major public health issue, globally. The purpose of screening is to identify people in an apparently healthy population who are at higher risk of a health problem or a condition so that an early treatment or intervention can be provided and thereby reduce the incidence and mortality rate within the population. For instance, in March 2022, National Chlamydia Screening Program (NCSP) was organized in the United Kingdom. The main aim of the program is to reduce the risk of untreated chlamydia infection. This program also focused on reducing the time to test results and treatment and re-testing after treatment. The program is also changing from prevention and control to focusing on reducing the harms from untreated chlamydia infection by primarily screening women and girls. Additionally, in June 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended and issued guidelines for screening of sexually transmitted diseases in order to create awareness towards screening programs for STDs and increasing burden of STDs across the globe. It has issued separate STD screening guidelines for every group of the population such as women, pregnant women, men who have sex with women, men who have sex with men, transgender and gender diverse persons, and persons with HIV. Thus, the increase in the number of screening programs across the globe is expected to increase the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases, which in turn is anticipated to increase the demand for STD diagnostic products. Hence, considerable market growth is expected over the forecast period.

Additionally, advancements in STD diagnostics and research and development in developing new technologies are projected to fuel the market growth. Also, the market is witnessing a major shift from conventional technologies to molecular diagnostics for the diagnosis of STD's is the major breakthrough for the growth of the market.

Hence, all the aforementioned factors are expected to drive the growth of the market studied.

STD Diagnostics Market Trends

Laboratory Testing Segment is Expected to Witness Growth Over the Forecast Period

Laboratory tests are the most common form of diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) across the globe. As laboratory tests are reliable and provide high accuracy, their usage is high and people tend to trust more on laboratory tests.

Abbott laboratories offer an in vitro reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay and in vitro polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for detection of various sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and others caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Mycoplasma genitalium. Similarly, Qiagen Inc. offers a wide range of diagnostics test kits, including STI tests for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections with high clinical sensitivity and specificity, that are used to detect various sexually transmitted diseases.

Moreover, there have been continuous product launches occurring in the field of molecular diagnostics which is one of the leading factors responsible for the growth of the laboratory testing segment. More product launches are allowing laboratories to install instruments or equipment as per the need.

For instance, in May 2022, Qiagen Inc. launched NeuMoDxHSV 1/2 Quant Assay for the quantification and differentiation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA and/or herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) with approval from the European Commission. The emergence of this assay is allowing the company to expand its product portfolio in laboratory testing which ultimately helps the market growth owing to the innovative tests. Additionally, in November 2021, Roche launched Cobas 5800 System, a real-time PCR molecular testing solution, a new molecular laboratory instrument, in countries accepting the CE mark. This launch is helping the company in broadening its diagnostics product range for various applications including STD diagnostics which is expected to contribute to the growth of the market studied.

Therefore, owing to the above-mentioned factors, the laboratory testing segment is believed to witness high growth over the forecast period.

North America holds largest share in Global STD Diagnostics Market

The global sexually transmitted diseases diagnostics market is dominated by North America, owing to the high prevalence of STDs in the region. The United States is expected to be the largest market in the North American region due to the presence of a large number of diagnostic companies and greater disease awareness. In April 2022, a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled "Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2020" stated that STDs remain a significant public health concern in the country. According to the same source, Chlamydia trachomatis infection was the most prevalent notifiable sexually transmitted infection in the United States in 2020 with a total of 1,579,885 cases reported to the CDC. The CDC received reports of 677,769 different gonorrhea infections in 2020. 2020 saw 133,945 cases of syphilis throughout all phases, including 41,655 cases of the disease's primary and secondary (P&S) stages, which are the most contagious. By raising the demand for such diseases' diagnostic processes, the country's market growth is thus anticipated to expand with the prevalence of STDs.

Similarly, the CDC reported in May 2022 that 30,635 people in the United States and dependent territories acquired an HIV diagnosis in 2020. The report was titled "Diagnoses of HIV Infection in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2020." At the end of 2019, the number of Americans living with HIV was predicted to be 1,189,700. Because early diagnosis is essential for the patient to live a long and healthy life, it is therefore projected that the prevalence of HIV will boost the demand for illness diagnostics.

In August 2020, the United States Department of Health and Human Services developed a Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan (STI Plan). Five high-level goals that frame the STI Plan's more precise targets are presented beside this vision. The prevention of new STIs is one of the five aims and related objectives. In communities and populations most affected by STIs, increase access to high-quality, inexpensive STI secondary prevention, including screening, care, and treatment. To identify and treat STIs, including novel and emerging disease threats, support the development and adoption of innovative STI diagnostic tools, therapeutic agents, and other interventions. Thus, it is anticipated that such measures will accelerate market expansion.

Moreover, in May 2021, a team led by Johns Hopkins University developed a low-cost portable device and smartphone app to quickly diagnose gonorrhea and evaluate whether a specific strain will respond to frontline treatments. The innovation is an improvement over current testing methods used in hospitals and clinics, which can take up to a week to give findings and during which individuals may unintentionally spread illnesses. Furthermore, in March 2021, NASTAD (National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors) partnered with Building Healthy Online Communities for a free HIV and STD test kit home delivery program called TakeMeHome.

Therefore, owing to the above factors, the growth of the STD diagnostics market in North America is expected to surge over the forecast period.

STD Diagnostics Industry Overview

The market for STD Diagnostics is moderately competitive in nature. Key players in the STD diagnostics market are Abbott Laboratories, MedMira Inc, Qaigen Inc, Cepheid (Danaher Corporation), F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Diasorin S.p.A, bioMeriuex, Hologic, Inc, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., amongst others. These companies focus on partnership and product/technology licensing opportunities in the sexually transmitted diseases diagnostics industry.

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