Virology Specimen Collection Market Research Report: Information by Product Type (Swabs, Viral Transport Media, Blood Collection Kits, Others), by Application (Diagnostics, Research), by End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, Others), by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World) - Forecast till 2030

Virology Specimen Collection Market Forecast

The global virology specimen collection market size is projected to be worth ~USD 8,974 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of ~5.3% during the forecast period (2021 - 2030)

Specimen collection is the process of obtaining substances for laboratory analysis or near-patient testing. The sample collection kit includes the vitals and reagents used in collecting samples and shipping them to the laboratory, where the testing services will be performed. There is a rise in the demand for virology specimen collection kits due to the increasing incidence of various viral diseases, COVID-19 outbreak globally, and approval of new and advanced detection tests by authorities. In May 2020, Everlywell, Inc. received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the COVID-19 test sample collection kit. The product is a standalone, at-home nasal swab sample collection kit with a saline-filled tube that can be sent to specified labs for subsequent COVID-19 diagnostic testing. This, in turn, has positively impacted the virology specimen collection market.

COVID-19 Analysis

• Drug discovery and research efforts have significantly increased, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding pressure on the healthcare industry. However, the initial impact of the pandemic was negative, leading to product shortages. This is due to significant interruptions in the vendor supply chains and increased demand for testing kits during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Increasing initiatives undertaken by various public and private organizations to maximize product supply and output have positively impacted the market. In September 2021, The US government signed an agreement to spend USD 626 million on Celltrion (South Korea) and USD 554.4 million on Abbott (US) to purchase rapid COVID-19 tests for nursing homes and other high-risk populations as part of President Joe Biden's vaccinate or test plan. Such collaborations between the industry players and government bodies are anticipated to greatly benefit manufacturers across the globe and promote market growth.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

• Rise in the prevalence of viral diseases
  
  
  
  • The rising prevalence of viral diseases such as AIDS, flu, SARS-CoV-2, EBOLA, STDs, and Zika virus is a major factor boosting the demand for effective virology specimen collection. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in November 2021, an estimated 37.7 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2020. Out of these, over two-thirds (25.4 million) of the population was residing in the WHO African Region. In 2020, approximately 680,000 people died from HIV-related causes, and 1.5 million (1.0–2.0 million) people acquired the disease. In addition, as per the data published by World Health Organization (WHO) in July 2021, there were an estimated 7 million new syphilis infections in 2020 across the globe. According to the data published by the World Health Organization (WHO), in November 2021, over 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day across the world. This, in turn, is anticipated to further drive the demand for the virology specimen collection market.
  
  
  
  


• Large volume and usage rate of swabs
  
  
  
  • The advent of antigen tests to fill the timeline and capacity gaps in the testing landscape is anticipated to spur the usage of Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs across the globe. In addition, the demand for tests has increased in recent months due to the emergence of the contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. For instance, in August 2020, Puritan Medical Products (US) received USD 51 million contract funding from the US Department of Defense, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funding is aimed to support the company the flock tip testing swabs production capacity to 50 million swabs per month by March 2021 for supporting coronavirus testing.
  
  
  
  


• Approval of detection tests by regulatory authorities

Market Restraints

• High cost of virology specimen collection technologies
  
  
  
  • High costs associated with technologies and collection kits coupled with increasing usage of flow sensitivity screening are the major factors hampering the growth of this market. As per the article published by The New York Times Company in June 2020, Gibson Diagnostic Labs (U.S.) charged USD 2,315 for individual COVID-19 tests. The prices had even risen to USD 6,946 in some cases. Insurers such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield Texas have received over 600 out-of-network bills for coronavirus tests that are over more than USD 500, with an average charge of USD 1,114.
  
  
  • The comparatively high cost of the advanced tests has boosted the usage of older and less effective tests, for instance, first-generation ELISA. Despite its limitation, the test is being utilized in various parts of the world.
  
  
  
  

Market Opportunities

• Rise in demand for rapid diagnostic tests
  
  
  
  • Rapid diagnostic tests have gained immense traction as they offer accurate and faster results, improve prescribing, and reduce the length of hospitalization. These tests are increasingly accepted by clinicians to navigate through a pandemic of highly contagious infection that includes Ebola, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and hantavirus. This is expected to accelerate the usage rate of viral specimen collection products for rapid diagnostic tests.
  
  
  
  

Value Chain Analysis

The global virology specimen collection market is projected to exhibit significant growth during the forecast period. This is attributed to the rising prevalence of viral diseases, the growing number of blood donations, and government approval for new and advanced detection tests. In addition, a surge in demand for sample collection kits across the globe due to the COVID-19 outbreak has further contributed to the market growth. The value chain analysis for the market is comprised of five major components, which start with research & product development, followed by product manufacturing, distribution & sales, and end with post-marketing surveillance. In the research and product development stage, new models and designs are introduced to make the products better and more effective, with the major focus of manufacturers on designing the comfort of the patients. The manufacturing process begins with the assembly of raw materials. Manufacturing is a quick process followed by testing for safety, accuracy, and comfort. Distribution & sales play a critical role in the market value chain analysis. It consists of intermediaries, direct selling channels, and others. Post-sales monitoring plays a significant role in this market. The follow-up stage gives an idea about the sales of the products and helps understand any limitations or feedback from the users.

Segment Overview

By Product Type

• Swabs: Swabs are small pieces of soft material used to clean a cut or take a small amount of substance from a body or the substance itself that can be tested. According to the report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in May 2020, sterile swabs for upper respiratory specimen collection can be packaged in two ways that include individually wrapped and bulk packaged.
  
  
  
  • Nasopharyngeal (NP) Swabs: A nasopharyngeal swab is a method for collecting a clinical test sample of nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat. This is the fastest-growing segment.
  
  
  • Oropharyngeal (OP) Swabs: An oropharyngeal swab is a method to identify germs or viruses that may cause infection in the throat.
  
  
  
  


• Viral Transport Media: Viral transport media are essential kits that contain transport media in a tube as well as a swab.


• Blood Collection Kits: The blood collection kit is designed to be used by medical personnel to collect blood samples for disease identification.


• Others: Other product type includes specimen collection. This is the process of obtaining fluids or for near-patient testing or laboratory analysis.

By Application

• Diagnostics: For diagnosis, the virology specimen collection kit permits samples collected from the patient’s nose using a designated self-collection kit containing nasal swabs and saline to determine the disease or condition as per the person's symptoms and signs.


• Research: For research, the virology specimen collection kits are being utilized for collecting samples from patients, and research is conducted for introducing vaccines or medications for preventing diseases. This segment is the fastest-growing segment.

By End User

• Hospitals & Clinics: Hospitals & clinics segment is the largest segment with an increasing need for testing COVID-19 among communities and a surge in healthcare-related infections in acute care hospital facilities. Many airtight cabins are arranged for collecting swab samples to prevent the infection from spreading. This is the largest growing segment.


• Diagnostics Centers: Diagnostic center is the fastest-growing segment. These centers support the expansion of molecular diagnostic screening with increased viral transport media and swabs for applications during diagnosis.


• Others: Other end-users include research laboratories and home testing. Home testing enables an individual to collect a sample at home and prevent the transmission of diseases.

Regional Analysis

The virology specimen collection market based on the region has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World.

North America: According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in April 2020, Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) is the first diagnostic test developer for an at-home specimen collection kit for COVID-19. This is anticipated to boost the virology specimen collection market across the region during the forecast period.

Europe: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), January 2020 report, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) are working closely for identifying the laboratory needs and capacities in the European region. Thus, sample collection kits are required for laboratory tests and detection due to the increasing incidence of viral diseases and a rise in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. This is expected to drive the virology specimen collection market growth.

Asia-Pacific: Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 cases, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in April 2021, announced a USD 31.6 billion aid package for the Asia and the Pacific region in 2020 to tackle the outbreak and support green and sustainable green recovery. Thus, an increase in government funding is expected to drive the virology specimen collection market growth.

Middle East & Africa: The Middle East & Africa region is more under proper infrastructural development and technological advancements. This, in turn, leads to low development in the healthcare industry, which reduces the overall sample collection kits production in the market. A rise in development and technology is expected to drive the virology specimen collection market growth.

Competitive Landscape

The key industry players are adopting various business strategies such as significant investments in R&D activities to increase their market presence and expand their product portfolio, driving the Virology Specimen Collection market. In addition, the market players are adopting several strategic initiatives such as new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, contractual agreements, increasing investments, and collaboration with other players to expand their global footprint. For instance, in March 2020, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) (U.S.) and BioMedomics (U.S.), a clinical diagnostics company, announced the launch of a new point-of-care serology test. The test is utilized to detect antibodies in the blood to confirm current or past exposure to COVID-19 within 15 minutes. The new test, developed and manufactured by BioMedomics, is available through BD and distributed exclusively by Henry Schein, Inc. to health care providers throughout the United States.

List of companies covered in this report:

• Hardy Diagnostics (US)


• Puritan Medical Products (US)


• COPAN Diagnostics (US)


• Becton, Dickinson and Company (US)


• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US)


• BNTX Inc. (Germany)


• Formlabs (US)


• Medline Industries, Inc. (US)


• Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (US)


• VIRCELL S.L. (Spain)


• Lucence Diagnostics Pte Ltd. (US)


• HiMedia Laboratories (India)

Recent Developments

• In November 2020, Mybiopassport (Switzerland) launched its e-Commerce platform for online ordering of the “COVID-19 & Immunity Profile” test, an at-home blood collection test. The test helps determine if the individual has been previously infected by the COVID-19 through the development of specific antibodies.


• In April 2020, the University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester (U.S) developed a finger-stick test for detecting more than 50 strains of the flu from just a few blood drops.


• In February 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific (U.S.) announced its collaboration with NanoPin Technologies, Inc. for developing highly sensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based workflows to advance the detection technology for blood-based infectious diseases.

Report Overview

The study covers the existing short-term and long-term market effects. It helps decision-makers to draught short-term and long-term business plans by region. The report covers major regions in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The report analyzes market drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, Porter's five forces, value chain, and impact of COVID-19 on the market.

Study Objectives

• To provide a detailed analysis of the market structure and forecast for the next seven years of the various segments and sub-segments of the virology specimen collection market


• To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth


• To analyze the virology specimen collection market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porter's five force analysis, etc.


• To provide historical and forecast revenues of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World


• To provide country-level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective


• To provide country-level analysis of the market for segments by product type, application, and end user


• To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyze their core competencies, and draw a competitive market landscape


• To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, new product developments, and R&D in the Virology Specimen Collection market

Market Segmentation:

Global Virology Specimen Collection Market, By Product Type

• Swabs
  
  
  
  • Nasopharyngeal (NP) Swabs
  
  
  • Oropharyngeal (OP) Swabs
  
  
  
  


• Viral Transport Media


• Blood Collection Kits


• Others

Global Virology Specimen Collection Market, By Application

• Diagnostics


• Research

Global Virology Specimen Collection Market, By End User

• Hospitals & Clinics


• Diagnostic Centers


• Others

Global Virology Specimen Collection Market, By Region

• North America
  
  
  
  • US
  
  
  • Canada
  
  
  
  


• Europe
  
  
  
  • Germany
  
  
  • France
  
  
  • UK
  
  
  • Italy
  
  
  • Spain
  
  
  • Rest of Europe
  
  
  
  


• Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  • China
  
  
  • Japan
  
  
  • India
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  • South Korea
  
  
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  


• Rest of the World
  
  
  
  • Middle East
  
  
  • Africa
  
  
  • Latin America
  
  
  
  

Intended Audience

• Virology specimen collection product manufacturers and suppliers


• Contract Research Organizations (CROs)


• Research and Development (R&D) Companies


• Biopharmaceutical Companies


• Government & Independent Research Laboratories


• Government and Independent Regulatory Authorities


• Market Research and Consulting Service Providers


• Academic Institutes and Universities