Cephalosporin Market Expected to Reach $16.87 Billion by 2027—Allied Market Research

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Cephalosporin Market by Generation, Type, Route of Drug Administration, and Application: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019–2027," the global cephalosporin market size was valued at $13.69 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $16.87 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 2.6% from 2019 to 2027. The third-generation cephalosporin segment held more than 32% of the total cephalosporin market share in 2019. 

Cephalosporin is a group of semisynthetic, broad-spectrum antibiotics, which is majorly used to treat bacterial infections. The major factors contributing to the growth of the cephalosporin market include increase in incidence of population suffering from pneumonia, tonsillitis, bronchitis, and gonorrhea. In addition, increase in R&D activities to develop highly efficient & safe drugs and upsurge in use of combination therapies further boost the market growth. However, side effects associated with cephalosporin and development of drug-resistant bacterial strains restrain the cephalosporin market growth.

Economies across the world are suffering from the impact of COVID-19 and many industries are experiencing losses. However, pharmaceutical companies have a center stage in the COVID-19 fight and are responding to rapid challenges arising from disturbances in supply chains and need to change business processes. If this pandemic lasts for a medium or long span of time, it may impact supply of active material and ingredients (mainly from China) as well as import and export of pharmaceuticals. However, the virus damages cells so badly that it becomes easier for certain bacteria to cause secondary infections, for instance, pneumonia in influenza patients, which can be treated with antibiotics and in such cases health care providers recommend cephalosporin as well as combination therapies of antibiotics. Hence, the impact of COVID-19 on cephalosporin industry is expected to be moderate.

Increase in incidence of population suffering from pneumonia, tonsillitis, bronchitis, and gonorrhoea drives the market growth. In addition, increase in R&D activities to develop highly efficient & safe drugs and upsurge in use of combination therapies further boost the growth of the market. However, side effects associated with cephalosporin and evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains are expected to hamper the market growth. On the contrary, lucrative opportunities in the emerging economies are expected to propel the market growth in the future.

Based on application, the market is segmented into respiratory tract infection, skin infection, ear infection, urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted infection, and others. The respiratory tract infection segment generated the highest revenue in 2019 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period, as cephalosporin are used for treatment of both upper & lower respiratory tract infection and lower respiratory infections are the leading infectious causes of death globally. Hence, oral cephalosporin is used in the treatment of lower and upper respiratory tract infections widely. However, the sexually transmitted infection is expected to register highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to the rising rate of sexually transmitted infections globally and some second-generation cephalosporin and most of the third-generation cephalosporin are effective in the treatment.

Based on generation, the market is classified into first-generation cephalosporin, second-generation cephalosporin, third-generation cephalosporin, fourth-generation cephalosporin, and fifth-generation cephalosporin. The third-generation cephalosporin segment generated the highest revenue in 2019 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period, as these have a broader spectrum of activity and these are used for the treatment of Gram-negative bacillary meningitis, serious infections of enterobacteriaceae, otitis media, and others. However, the fifth-generation cephalosporin is expected to register highest CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period.

Based on region, the antibiotics market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. Asia-Pacific dominated the market in 2019, accounting for the highest share, and is anticipated to maintain cephalosporin market trends throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to increased consumption of cephalosporin, its easy availability, and rise in sale of over-the-counter drugs, and increase in bacterial infection in the region.

Key Findings Of The Study 

• Generic cephalosporin segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 3.1% during the analysis period.
• Based on route of administration, the intravenous cephalosporin segment accounted for the largest share in 2019 and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period.
• India and China collectively contributed for more than 40% share of the Asia-Pacific cephalosporin market in 2019.
• U.S. was the major shareholder that accounted for more than 90% of the North America cephalosporin market in 2019.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the key players operating in the global cephalosporin industry, Allergan Plc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Lupin Limited (Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), Merck & Co. Inc., Novartis International AG, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. The other players in the value chain include Eli Lilly and Company, Bayer HealthCare, Sun Pharmaceutical, Shionogi, and others.