Global Swab and Viral Transport Medium Market Growing Rapidly Due to Rising Demand from COVID-19 Pandemic

The global swab and viral transport medium market (VTM) was valued at USD 0.9 billion in 2019 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of ~3% from 2020 to 2030 to reach USD 2.2 billion by 2030, driven by increased demand during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Since research institutes and labs have intensified their experiments for developing COVID-19 vaccines, companies in the swab and VTM market have increased their production capacities to develop products useful for viral collection, maintenance, and culture. Rapid antigen testing and molecular assay experiments have fueled the demand for swab and VTM during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Long-term freezers and direct fluorescent antibody (DVA) applications are creating incremental opportunities for companies in the swab and VTM market.

These are the findings of Transparency Market Research (Albany NY, USA), a next-generation market intelligence provider.

VTM enables safe transfer of viruses, chlamydia, and mycoplasma for research, including conventional cell culture methods, diagnostic tests, and molecular biology techniques. Swabs collected and transported dry or in saline are compared to commercially available swab/medium combinations for PCR detection of influenza, enterovirus, herpes simplex virus, and adenovirus. In terms of product, the transport medium segment accounted for a major share of the global swab and VTM market in 2019. The transport medium segment is anticipated to expand at a high CAGR during the forecast period, owing to rise in the need and demand for detection and prevention of the infectious diseases across the world. Based on application, the viral infection diagnosis segment held a significant share of the global swab and VTM market in 2019.

Geographically, North America accounted for a significant share of the global swab and VTM market in 2019. The presence of key players and growth strategies adopted by these players are the major factors driving the swab and VTM in the region. Rise in awareness about the benefits of prevention of diseases and increase in healthcare expenditure augment the swab and VTM market in North America. Asia Pacific held the second-largest share of the global swab and VTM market in 2019. The growth of the swab and VTM market in the region can be attributed to rise in prevalence of infectious diseases. The market in Asia Pacific is likely to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period. The development of vaccines and other pharma products to cope with diseases and rise in awareness leading to routine check-up and diagnosis are the major factors anticipated to fuel the growth of the swab and VTM market in the region.

Companies in the swab and VTM market are innovating in kits containing vials, double-ended flocked swabs, antibiotics, and other items that inhibit bacterial or fungal contamination. They are focusing on improved formulation of Hanks solution to contain the reproduction of bacterial and fungal flora. Innovative VTM products are bolstering market growth. Manufacturers in the swab and VTM market are innovating in products that facilitate rapid antigen testing, viral culture, and molecular-based assay. They are adopting the vertically integrated approach to manufacture swab and VTM in order to gain complete control over the entire process.

3 dimensional (3D) printers are being used to produce cost-efficient nasopharyngeal swabs. Companies in the swab and VTM market are using fused deposition modelling (FDM) printers to manufacture nasopharyngeal swab in a cost-efficient manner. Manufacturers are using FDA-approved biocompatible materials in swab such as polylactic acid (PLA) plastic filament. They are making use of renewable resources such as sugarcane and tapioca roots to produce 3D printed swab. On the other hand, companies are using flocking methods to electrostatically deposit small fibers of synthetic materials onto an adhesive-coated surface to produce nasopharyngeal swabs. In order to eliminate the need for adhesives, manufacturers are using mini blunt-ended hooks to secure polyester threads of nasopharyngeal swabs.

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