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Orphan Diseases Market Analysis

ID: MRFR//1907-HCR | 85 Pages | Author: Kinjoll Dey| April 2024

The exceptional landscape of orphan ailments in the market dynamics is characterized by different opportunities and challenges. Orphan diseases, which are also called rare diseases, constitute specifically a small proportion of the population making this field a niche in the pharmaceutical and health care industry. The limited customer population makes it difficult to develop and sell drugs because they do not have enough means for profitability. In addition to this regulatory dimension, personalized medicine has attracted attention because of its use with orphans.

Regulatory environment stands out as one of the influencing factors on orphan disease market dynamics. Governments across the world have put in place orphan drug designations and incentives for encouraging therapy development for rare diseases. Some of these incentives include; longer market exclusivity period, tax credits and reduction in regulatory fees paid by companies developing orphan drugs. This kind of support from regulation has made many pharmaceutical companies invest more on research on orphan drugs hence driving innovation into an area that was previously ignored.

Recent advancements in genomics and molecular technologies are also a critical factor that has shaped the way orphan diseases markets behave. Ability to identify genetic basis for rare disorders and understand them has opened doors towards targeted therapies. Precision medicine designed on specific genetic mutations behind such conditions promises better treatment outcomes. Understanding rare diseases at molecular level is fast-tracking drug discovery and development processes thus favoring stakeholders more.

Also, despite recent positive trends, there are significant challenges within the market dynamics for orphan diseases as well. It becomes quite hard to carry out extensive clinical trials due to small patient populations thereby limiting robust data collection needed for regulatory approval purposes. Consequently, speed regarding drug development/market entry might be slowed down as well. Moreover small dimensions of markets reduce overall revenue potential linked to orphan medicines compared with blockbuster ones targeting higher prevalent conditions.
As a result, balancing unmet medical needs with financial sustainability represents a tightrope walk among drug manufacturers.

Furthermore, patient advocacy groups have had an impact on the dynamics of the orphan diseases market. These organizations are instrumental in creating awareness, supporting research and influencing regulatory decisions. Currently, patient advocacy has emerged as a strong force for change within the orphan disease sector, fostering cooperation between patients, researchers and industry players. Such collaborative approaches have played a critical role in pushing forward efforts to conduct more research, secure funding and facilitate rapid development of orphan drugs.

The price as well as reimbursement strategies for orphan drugs also contribute to these market dynamics. Rare diseases usually incur higher costs during their developmental stages unlike regular drugs; hence they tend to be expensive. It is thus an ongoing challenge to balance accessibility for patients against ROI for pharmaceutical companies. Policy makers and payers have therefore developed sustainable reimbursement models that ensure patients’ access without destabilizing the financial viability of developing orphan drugs.

Global Orphan Diseases Market Overview 


The Orphan diseases market size is anticipated to reach USD 328.5 billion by 2030 at 10.70% of CAGR during the forecast timeframe 2024-2030. Orphan diseases are also popularly called rare diseases. The market for the orphan disease is growing rapidly in the forecast period. This disease affects a small percentage of the population across the World. Research says that most orphan diseases remain with the patient throughout life as it is genetic. The exact number of diseases are not found yet, but there are nearly more than 7000 various rare disorders and diseases are present across the World. 


The increasing patient population with a rare disease contributes to the global market throughout the review period. Moreover, the research and development initiatives are increasing day by day, fuelling the worldwide market growth. Also, the increasing adoption of orphan drugs is enhancing the market growth. 


According to the Orphan Diseases Market Trends report, the current market has some intended audiences who contribute to generating more scope and opportunities for the global market. These intended audiences are hospitals and clinics, medical research laboratories, orphan diseases drug manufacturers and suppliers, potential investors, government and independent regulatory authorities, market research and consulting service providers, and research and development (R&D) companies. 


COVID-19 Analysis 


In the health care sector, the workflow has been affected due to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. At this time, many sub-domains of healthcare industries have shut their doors for a temporary period. 


Also, the global Orphan Diseases Market Value has decreased with the reduced access to healthcare specialists, limited operations in most industries, the decline in screening services, and inadequate funding. 


Orphan Diseases Market Trends


Key Market Drivers 


The global Orphan Diseases Market growth is driven due to the increasing prevalence of rare diseases across the World. Another important factor that enhances market growth is favorable government policies.


The US food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has estimated that since 1983, the Orphan Products Development (OOPD) organization has resulted in over 600 drugs and biologic products development and marketing for rare disorders. These kinds of initiatives are growing day-by-day that is fuelling the growth of the market during the assessment period.


Market Challenges 

The Orphan Diseases Market might face challenges due to the high cost of the orphan drug and the stringent rules and regulations of the government relating to the orphan drug.


Moreover, the manufacturing chain and supply chain have been affected during the pandemic period, which has brought major challenges for the global market due to the lack of transportation, workforce, etc. 


Market Opportunities 

The growing novel indications for known orphan drugs are expected to bring lucrative opportunities for the global market players and manufacturers. 


Moreover, the market might go through significant opportunities due to the untapped emerging economies across the World. 


Market Restraints 

The global orphan diseases market growth might experience restraints due to the correct treatments, correct diagnosis and availability of healthcare facilities during the research period. 


Moreover, the lack of awareness might affect the growth of the market in the forecast period. In addition, the high cost associated with orphan drugs might hamper the growth of the global market. 


Cumulative Evaluation of The Market


While looking into the past records, the global Market has witnessed significant growth and is expected to continue to maintain the trend in the upcoming years.


As per the orphan diseases market analysis, the regional market players exist across regions like North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, who contribute efficiently to enhance the market growth in the coming years. 


Orphan Diseases Market Segment Insights


Orphan Diseases types of diseases Insights




The global market has been classified as genetic disorders, oncological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory disorders, eye disorders, autoimmune disease, blood disorders, growth disorders, neurological disorders and others.


Further, the oncological disease is sub-divided into Pancreatic cancer, multiple myeloma, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), ovarian cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and others. In 2020, the oncological disease segment was anticipated to hold the largest orphan diseases market share due to the increasing awareness about cancer among the population, rise in prevalence of oncological disease, availability of oncological orphan drugs for all to treat cancer, and early screening of cancer. Further, this disease is estimated to maintain the dominating place throughout the research period. 


Orphan Diseases End-users Insights


The global market has been segregated into a research laboratory, hospital and clinics, and others depending on the end-user segment.


Among these, the hospital and clinic segments are estimated to generate the largest orphan diseases market size during the forecast period. This segment is growing due to the rising number of drugs administered by professional healthcare workers at the hospital. 


Orphan Diseases drug type Insights


On the basis of drug type segment, the global market has been divided into non-biologics and biologics. 


In 2019, the biologics segment was projected to dominate the global market by generating significant market share. On the contrary, the non-biologics segment is registered a low CAGR comparatively and generated a lower market share for the year.


Orphan Diseases treatment type Insights


The global market has been segregated into drug therapy, cell therapy, gene therapy, and others in terms of treatment type segment. 


Orphan Diseases treatment Regional Insights


Based on the regional segmentation, the global orphan diseases market has been spread across different geographical locations such as North America, Asia Pacific, South America, Europe, and the rest of the World. 


In the present global scenario, the North American region is estimated to dominate the global market by generating the largest market share throughout the research period. This region is expanding due to the presence of key players leading to the development of innovative and sophisticated products. Moreover, the strong patient population and the significant expenditure on orphan drugs are also contributing to the North American regional market growth. 


Apart from this region, the European market for Orphan Diseases is considered to be the second-largest growing market in the forecast period. This region has strong adoption of sophisticated rare disease therapeutics, which is fuelling the European market for Orphan Diseases. Moreover, the Asia Pacific market for Orphan Diseases is anticipated to expand at a significant rate throughout the research period due to the growing awareness of the rare disease and rising healthcare expenditure. Furthermore, the rest of the World, including the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America, is estimated to show steady growth during the forecast period because of the under penetration of the market for Orphan Diseases.


Competitive Intensity Within the Industry  


As per the Orphan Diseases Market Outlook report, the market players are the main contributors to the growth of the market for Orphan Diseases. These major market players include:



  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (US), 

  • CELGENE CORPORATION (US) 

  • Novartis AG (Switzerland) 

  • Pfizer Inc. (US) 

  • AbbVie Inc. (US)

  • F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland)

  • Alexion (US)

  • Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (US) 

  • Merck & Co., Inc (US)

  • Sanofi (French)

  • GlaxoSmithKline plc. (UK).


These market players are spread across all parts of the globe and focus on the research and developmental activities relating to Orphan Diseases. Moreover, they are also doing partnerships, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions to enhance the orphan diseases market growth. Likely, they are aiming to show their presence to the World in the upcoming years. 


Recent Market Developments 



  • In June 2020, the prominent market player Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. declared that the company had received the Orphan Drug Designation of FDA for their Mitapivat pipeline candidate to treat Thalassemia.

  • In June 2020, the major key player Chiasma, Inc. declared that it had received approval from FDA for its Mycapssa product to treat a rare disorder, i.e., acromegaly. 


Report Overview 


The global market report highlights the market overview, segmentation, regional classification, competitive analysis, recent developments and market dynamics. This report is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market. 


According to the global orphan diseases market forecast report, the current market has been segmented based on the types of disease, end-users, and treatment type. 


Orphan Diseases treatment Market Segmentation 


Orphan Diseases treatment types of diseases Outlook



  • genetic disorders, 

  • cancer, 

  • cardiovascular diseases, 

  • respiratory disorders, 

  • eye disorders, 

  • autoimmune disorders, 

  • blood disorders, 

  • growth disorder, 

  • neurological disorders, 

  • digestive disorders, 

  • others.


Orphan Diseases drug types Outlook



  • non-biologics 

  • biologics


Orphan Diseases End-users Outlook



  • research laboratory, 

  • hospital and clinics, 

  • others.


Orphan Diseases treatment type Outlook



  • drug therapy, 

  • cell therapy, 

  • gene therapy, 

  • others. 

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