Global Prefilled Syringes Market by Type [Conventional (Disposable, Reusable), Safety], Material (Glass, Plastic), Design (Single-Chamber, Dual-Chamber, Customized), Application (Diabetes, Cancer, Arthritis, Anaphylaxis, Ophthalmology) and Region - Forecast to 2025

The global prefilled syringes market size is projected to reach USD 8.6 billion by 2025 from USD 5.6 billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 9%.

• Globally, in 2019, approximately 436 million adults (prevalence 9.3%) were suffering from diabetes, and it is expected to rise to 700 million (prevalence 10.9%) by 2045. Moreover, more than 1.1 million children and adolescents are living with type 1 diabetes (Source: International Diabetes Federation)
• In 2018, total number of cancer cases globally was recorded at 18 million. Most common cases being lung, breast, and colorectum cancer with incidence rate in double digits (Source: WHO)
• According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, in 2017, 24 million people had a condition of autoimmune disease in the US. Moreover, 8 million people had auto-antibodies - blood molecules that indicate a person's chance of developing autoimmune disease

Restraint: Dearth of prefilled syringes with integrated safety features

Prefilled syringes provide greater patient safety by reducing the potential for inadvertent needle sticks and exposure to toxic products that can occur while drawing medication from vials. However, a significant number of needle stick injuries are associated with the use of bare prefilled syringes as compared to the ones that have integrated safety systems. As of 2019, ~500,000 injuries occur in the US annually, in which half of those (nearly 1,000 per day) occur in hospitals. Furthermore, as of 2019, ~1,000,000 injuries occurred annually in Europe. In such cases, the contaminated needle of prefilled syringes can lead to blood-borne infections, such as HIV and HCV.

Considering this, the limited market presence of prefilled syringes with integrated safety features, due to their expensive and challenging manufacturing procedure, is a major concern in the market. However, this trend is expected to change in the coming years, as the healthcare industry is laying greater emphasis on reducing the rate of needlestick injuries, which, in turn, is paving the way for the development of safety prefilled syringes.

Opportunity: Growing healthcare infrastructure across emerging markets

Emerging countries continue to suffer from insufficient healthcare funding, which adversely affects access to healthcare, quality, and, ultimately, the health status of citizens. According to the World Bank, approximately 400 million people lack access to essential healthcare services, mostly in Africa and South Asia. Furthermore, accelerating medical inflation, i.e., the cost of medical treatments and a higher prevalence of non-communicable lifestyle-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or cardiac syndromes, have resulted in funding gaps.

According to a report published by Geneva Association, in the last two decades, the share of total aggregate global expenditure on healthcare in GDP has increased from about 8% to almost 10%, or an estimated USD 8 trillion per annum, which is driven by the accelerating cost of medical treatment, expanding treatment options and increasing customer demands. Moreover, the Global Burden of Disease Health Financing Collaborator Network (2017) estimates that global spending on health will almost triple to USD 24 trillion by 2040 with upper-middle-income countries are estimated to show the fastest increase at an average of 5.3% per year. This growth could be attributed to continued growth in GDP and the rise of the middle class and government spending.

Challenge: Availability of cheaper alternatives

The purchase cost of prefilled syringes as compared to disposable syringes is significantly higher as a result of the high expenses involved in their manufacturing.

Traditionally, injectable were invasive and painful, which was the major reason for patients to prefer alternate routes of drug delivery, such as oral, topical, and nasal. Among the various routes of drug delivery, the oral route is the most preferred as it is easy to use, convenient, cost-effective, safe, and acceptable. Due to the above-mentioned factors, the adoption of alternative drug delivery technologies is increasing across the globe. For instance, the development of alternate, cost-effective delivery methods for insulin, such as Pfizer's Exubera (inhalable insulin) and Medtronic's Veo insulin pump (inhalable insulin), is limiting the use of injectable insulin.

Currently, insulin is mostly administered through injections, and thus, insulin injections form a significant market for injectable drug delivery technologies. However, the advent of inhalable insulin is expected to significantly impact the growth of this market as nasal drug delivery is pain-free and highly patient compliant. Also, the development of alternate delivery techniques for other disease indications, such as oral anemia treatment by GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer, is expected to adversely affect the growth of injectable technologies in the coming years.

By type, the safety prefilled syringes segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The safety prefilled syringes segment is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period primarily due to the rising geriatric population globally and availability of biological therapies for patients with chronic conditions and outsourcing of low-risk medical procedures for chronic patients alleviates some of the pressure on hospitals.

Glass prefilled syringes is the largest material segment of the prefilled syringes market

The glass prefilled syringes segment accounted for the largest share of the prefilled syringes industry in 2019. The large share of this segment is attributed to the significant benefits offered, such as prevention of oxygen and water vapor from interacting with drug compounds, compatibility with different filling machines, and seamless integration into pharmaceutical companies’ PFS operations.

Single-chamber prefilled syringes accounted for the largest share of the prefilled syringes market, by design, in 2019

The single-chamber prefilled syringes segment accounted for the largest share of the prefilled syringes industry in 2019. Market growth can largely be attributed to the significant advantages with the use of single-chamber prefilled syringes over vials, such as optimized API use with less overfill, reduced material requirements, less drug waste in clinical trials, and simple storage & disposal.

Europe is the largest regional market for prefilled syringes

Europe is one of the major revenue-generating regions in the prefilled syringes market. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases, growth of the biologics and biosimilars market, technological advancements, geographical expansion by key manufacturers, aging population, and high adoption of self-injection devices are driving the demand for self-injectable prefilled syringes are the major factors driving the growth of the prefilled syringes market in Europe.prevalence of diabetes, and huge patient population.

COVID-19 Impact on the global prefilled syringes market

The prefilled syringes market is impacted due to the pandemic, resulting in impact of the pandemic on drug manufacturing and supply chain is expected to affect the market for the short term. Furthermore, HCPs have adapted to new ways of delivering care using telemedicine to reduce face-to-face contact, and adopting new ways of virtual healthcare and digital technologies is imperative to allow HCPs to continue routine appointments. Further, the use of apps can support self-management of chronic conditions, i.e., continuous glucose monitoring enables support with diabetes. Similarly, the contribution of community pharmacists to manage chronic conditions and promote medication adherence during this COVID-19 pandemic will be essential in easing the burden on already strained health systems.

Research Coverage

This report studies the prefilled syringes market based on the type, material, design, application, and region. The report also studies factors (such as drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges) affecting market growth and provides details of the competitive landscape for market leaders. Furthermore, the report analyzes micromarkets with respect to their individual growth trends and forecasts the revenue of the market segments with respect to five major regions (and the respective countries in these regions).

The major players operating in the prefilled syringes market are Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Gerresheimer (Germany), SCHOTT AG (Germany), West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (US), Baxter International Inc (US), Ompi (Italy), Catalent, Inc. (US), Weigao Group (China), Vetter Pharma International GmbH (Germany), Nipro Corporation (Japan), Elcam Medical (Israel), YPSOMED (Switzerland), Oval Medical Technologies (UK), SHL Medical AG (Switzerland), Terumo (Japan).

Becton, Dickinson and Company (US) held the leadership position in the global prefilled syringes market with a share of 37.2% in 2019. The company’s dominant position in this market can be attributed to its broad product portfolio of prefilled syringes, strong geographical presence, and wide customer base. The company primarily focuses on the strategy of product launch.

Breakdown of supply-side primary interviews:

• By Company Type: Tier 1: 48%, Tier 2: 36%, and Tier 3: 16%
• By Designation: C-level: 10%, D-level: 14%, and Others: 76%
• By Region: North America: 40%, Europe: 32%, APAC: 20%, Latin America: 5%, and the Middle East & Africa: 3%

Key Benefits of Buying the Report

This report focuses on various levels of analysis - industry trends, market share of top players, and company profiles, which together form basic views and analyze the competitive landscape, emerging segments of the prefilled syringes market, and high-growth regions and their drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges. The report will help both established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the market and garner greater market shares.