World Market for HAI-Related Testing and Treatment Products is Over $10 Billion

When a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is suspected, hospitals need results quickly, which is good news for innovative diagnostic test makers, notes healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information. In its recent report, Kalorama predicts the combined world market for testing and treatment products for HAIs will reach $10.3 billion in 2015, up from $9 billion in 2010, with higher growth experienced in the testing segment.

Kalorama's report finds nosocomial infections are an inherent part of any healthcare system and have a 5 percent infection rate of the 40 million hospital visits a year, causing 100,000 deaths in the U.S. annually. In an effort to decrease the rate of fatality, hospitals are shifting focus toward rapid discovery and treatment of nosocomial infections, driving sales of testing products.

"The growth opportunities are in testing," says Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information. "The treatment market is slowing down, with a little growth in the future, which will be dominated by established pharmaceutical companies."

Specific nosocomial infections that are candidates for testing innovation, include Pneumonia, which comprises nearly 20 percent of all HAIs with 300,000 cases annually and has an associated mortality rate of 30 percent to 70 percent, as well as MRSA, which accounts for nearly 20,000 deaths a year. According to Kalorama, 20 percent to 30 percent of these infections are preventable through intensive hygiene and control programs and the remaining 70 percent to 80 percent through more involved measures, such as hospital architecture and air sanitation and the use of disposable equipment and supplies.

"Everyone is interested in faster tests and immediate results," adds Carlson. "Although the rate of infection won't change, quicker turnover will improve patient outcome and drive down mortality rates."