Herpes Simplex Virus Treatment Market Size

Herpes Simplex Virus Treatment Market Analysis

The Herpes Simplex Virus Treatment Market size is estimated at USD 2.48 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 3.13 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.77% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the market's growth. Initially, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the research activities of therapies and drugs for medical conditions other than COVID-19. It impacted the treatment procedures and supply chain of pharmaceuticals worldwide, which affected the herpes simplex virus treatment market. However, the association of herpes simplex virus with the SARS-CoV-2 virus was established in many studies by researchers during the later phases of the pandemic. For instance, according to a research study published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science in July 2021, herpes simplex virus type-1 and varicella-zoster viruses are strongly associated with COVID-19 infection, and the prevalence of the herpes simplex virus type-1 occurrence in the studied COVID-19 group was 2.81% compared to 0.77% in the hospital population. Thus, there was a rise in the demand for herpes simplex virus treatment during the pandemic. This demand impacted the market positively as it increased the demand for anti-viral drugs for treatment, and the market is anticipated to continue its growth trend over the forecast period.

Factors such as the growing burden of herpes simplex virus infections, including genital herpes, and increasing R&D activities are factors attributed to the market's growth.

With the increasing burden of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, such as genital herpes, HSV type 1, and HSV type 2, the demand for HSV drugs and therapeutics is increasing rapidly. This is primarily expected to drive the growth of the herpes simplex virus treatment market during the forecast period. For instance, as per data updated by WHO in March 2022, nearly 3.7 billion people under age 50 (67% of the total population) had HSV-1 infection, while approximately 491 million people aged 15-49 years (13%) had HSV-2 infection in 2021, globally.

As per a research study published in NCBI in June 2021, in Asia (including the WHO regions of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific), about 1 in 10 persons were found to be infected with HSV type-2 infection annually, where HSV type-2 accounts for almost half of the genital ulcer disease (GUD) cases and three-quarters of genital herpes cases in Asia. Due to this, there is a need for vaccines for HSV type-2 and universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, which is expected to boost the growth of the herpes simplex virus treatment market during the forecast period.

Increasing R&D activities are also contributing to the market's growth. There is high potential in the HSV treatment market owing to the huge burden of HSV infections on healthcare systems worldwide. This is leading to huge investments in the R&D of effective therapeutics for HSV infections and is expected to boost the market's growth over the forecast period. For instance, in February 2021, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) provided funding of nearly EUR 2.34 million (USD 2.49) to Dr. Florian Full at the Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology at Universitätsklinkum Erlangen at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) for the development of a new drug against the herpes virus. The funding is for the next five years. The study's outcome may impact the market positively and boost the growth.

Therefore, owing to the increasing burden of HSV infections among the target population and the increase in investments for new research, the market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. However, the social stigma associated with sexually transmitted diseases, coupled with rising product recalls, is one of the major factors impeding the market's growth.