Market Overview

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in pre-born infants is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the light sensitive part of the eyes (retina). When retinopathy of prematurity is severe, it can cause the retina to detach from the wall of the eye and possibly cause blindness.

The most common and severe sight threatening complication is retinopathy of prematurity in newborn population. Gestational age is the major factor leading to retinopathy in premature .WHO estimate that there are about 15 million preterm births a year.

About 14,000 are affected by retinopathy of prematurity and 90% of those affected with retinopathy of prematurity have only mild disease. Apart from low birth weight other factors that are associated with the presence of ROP include anemia, poor weight gain, blood transfusion, respiratory distress, breathing difficulties.

About 14,000–16,000 of these infants are affected by some degree of ROP. However, infants with more severe disease can develop impaired vision or even blindness. About 1,100–1,500 infants annually develop retinopathy of prematurity that is severe enough to require medical treatment.

About 400–600 infants each year in the US become legally blind from retinopathy of prematurity. In addition to this, up-gradation of healthcare infrastructure along with the growing demand for early detection systems are some of the high impact rendering drivers for the retinopathy of prematurity market.

Also the clinical pipeline for retinopathy of premature seems full of promises with lots of medication specifically targeting retinopathy among premature. However, a dearth of skilled ophthalmologist combined with poor primary infrastructure and lack of insurance facilities are restraining the growth of global diabetic retinopathy market.

Global retinopathy of prematurity market is segmented based on disease type, treatment type and end user.

Based on indication, the global retinopathy of prematurity market can be segmented as follows:

Extra-retinal Fibrovascular Proliferation
Partial Retinal Detachment
Total Retinal Detachment

Based on treatment type, the global retinopathy of prematurity market can be segmented as follows:

Oxygen therapies
Laser Surgery
Cryotherapy
anti-VEGF
Biologics (e.g. Bevacizumab)

Based on end-user, the global retinopathy of prematurity market can be segmented as follows:

Hospitals
Ophthalmic Clinics
Ambulatory Surgical Centers

The segment partial retinal detachment for retinopathy of prematurity is highly valued as it is found to be the most frequent stage of retinopathy in premature. Rising health awareness are the factors responsible to increase the growth of global retinopathy of prematurity market over the coming years.

Based on treatment type, laser therapy is valued in retinopathy of prematurity market as the treatment has shown most effective results. However, there is a need for the development of low-cost, and easy to operate laser treatment.

Thus paying way to address various unmet need in the diabetic retinopathy market which is expected to grow at great pace in the coming 20 years Based on distribution the global vitamin B12 deficiency treatment market will be dominated by hospitals over the coming years.

Region wise, the global retinopathy of prematurity market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Among all the geographies, North America dominated the market followed by Europe.

The factors attributable for North America and Europe are having high premature birth rates while Asia is expected to show the booming growth in next five years. Within the Asian region, western pacific region account for greater share of blindness in newborns due to retinopathy as compared to South-East Asia.

The major factor contributing to the rising share of retinopathy of prematurity among the rising economies are large pool of infant population and rising support and funding provided by the government.

The global retinopathy of prematurity market is dominated by Bayer AG, D.Western Therapeutics Institute Hoffmann-La Roche ltd, Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc., Insmed Inc, F. Hoffmann-La RocheInc., Recordati SpA, Alimera Science Inc., Biomar Microbial Technologies., etc. Strategic acquisitions, geographic expansion, agreements, new product launches and collaborations are the major adopted strategies by most key players to achieve growth in the global retinopathy of prematurity market.