Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Market in Asia - Pacific Region - Threat of Pandemic Influenza and Increasing Vaccination Coverage to Drive Growth

14 Jan 2011 • by Natalie Aster

GBI Research, the leading business intelligence provider, has released its latest research, “Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Market in Asia-Pacific Region- Threat of Pandemic Influenza and Increasing Vaccination Coverage to Drive Growth”. The report provides in-depth analysis of the drivers and barriers that affect the seasonal influenza vaccine market in Asia-Pacific region. The report analyzes the markets for seasonal influenza vaccine in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Vaccination patterns, sales, and price are forecast until 2016. Further, the report provides profiles for the leading companies and analyzes the mergers, acquisitions and licensing agreements that shape the Asia-Pacific Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Market. The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GBI Research’s team of industry experts.

Seasonal influenza vaccine market in the APAC Region is a fast growing market, due to increasing vaccination coverage against seasonal influenza in the region. GBI Research forecasts the market to grow at double digit Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.3% during the period 2009-2016 from $219.7m in 2009 to $527m by 2016. The growth is driven by factors such as increasing awareness about influenza due to the threat of pandemic influenza, increasing vaccination coverage because of the governments’ support, growing population in the APAC region and entry of novel vaccines and production technologies.

GBI Research finds that the Philippines’ seasonal influenza vaccine market is the most attractive in the seasonal influenza vaccine market for Asia-Pacific region both in terms of volume and growth rate. The Philippines’ seasonal influenza vaccine market is forecast to grow from $57.3m in 2009 to $283.9m in 2016 at an impressive CAGR of 25.7%. Other attractive markets in terms of growth rate are Malaysia’s and Singapore’s seasonal influenza vaccine markets. These are forecast to grow at CAGRs of 27% and 22.1% respectively during 2009-2016. Australia’s seasonal influenza vaccine market is also a large sized attractive market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.1% during 2009-2016 from $80.8m in 2009 to $106.9m by 2016.

During last six years the threat of pandemic influenza has grown strong in the APAC region. In 2009 pandemic influenza due to pandemic H1N1 strain of influenza virus affected the APAC countries and resulted in sharp rise in the number of cases of influenza. Even earlier a pandemic strain H5N1 was discovered in 2005 and threat of pandemic influenza has been looming on the APAC region since then. This has resulted in increased awareness about influenza in the APAC region and the governments of the region have also supported programs for making more people aware about seasonal influenza. Increasing awareness about influenza translates into better coverage rates for immunization against seasonal influenza and eventually drives the market positively.

Increasing vaccination coverage due to the efforts of the governments of APAC countries is driving the seasonal influenza vaccine market positively. Most of the governments of APAC region including the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Hong Kong carry out national seasonal influenza immunization programs. Through these programs the governments increase the awareness about the disease, immunize the population at increased risk from influenza and ensure supplies of vaccines in their nations. These programs have been successful in increasing seasonal influenza vaccination coverage in the past and will continue be in near future.

The seasonal influenza vaccine market is expected to undergo a change brought by new production technologies, novel vaccines and delivery platforms that offer solution to many problems associated with the production and use of influenza vaccines. Cell culture-based vaccine production technology has emerged as an alternative to current egg-based production technology. The technology helps in faster production of influenza vaccines and offers many benefits such as cost savings to the manufacturers. Adjuvanted vaccines have come up with benefits such better efficacy at lower antigen requirement. Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccines (LAIV) are vaccines with painless intranasal delivery that can help in improving vaccination coverage.

The trends from the product pipelines, M&A agreements and R&D licensing deals for seasonal influenza vaccines indicate that the vaccine manufacturers are increasing adopting these technologies and developing novel vaccines. This trend will change the influenza vaccine market and it will help the vaccine manufacturers to meet the increasing demand for seasonal influenza vaccines.