The global market for antibody drug conjugates was valued at $1.3 billion in 2016. The market should reach $4.2 billion by 2021, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.5% from 2016 to 2021. 

Report Scope:

Antibody drug conjugates are mainly used to treat cancer and are safer and more effective than many other cancer therapies. This report focuses on the global market for antibody drug conjugate products and provides an updated review, including their basic design and application in various areas of the biomedical sciences. The report covers three main areas of application, breast cancer, lymphoma and other cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia. The scope of this study includes the current market for ADCs. The report also discusses regulatory aspects, current and developing technologies, market projections and market shares. An analysis of clinical trials, innovations and opportunities and the latest trends in ADC market are also discussed in the report.

Also included in the report is an analysis of relevant patents and profiles of companies that lead the antibody drug conjugate product market. Seattle Genetics Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Genentech Inc. are the major players in the market for ADCs at present.

Sales data for the global and regional markets were corroborated for the present and forecasted values via statistical analysis, and sales are broken down geographically into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the emerging markets. The application of ADCs in various types of cancer is discussed from both a commercial perspective and that of a research and development (R&D) perspective.

The report only covers antibody drug conjugates in which an antibody is conjugated with small-molecule cytotoxins (payload) through a linker. ADCs are a form of antibody conjugates. Other forms of antibody conjugates such as radioisotope conjugated with an antibody are beyond the scope of this report. The study also does not cover mAbs that do not contain a linker and cytotoxic agent and, thus, do not constitute an ADC.

Report Includes:

- An overview of the global market for antibody drug conjugates as a part of the pharmaceutical industry that is looking for innovative technologies.
- Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2014, 2015 and 2016, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2021.
- Examination of key market drivers and challenges.
- Insight into regulatory hurdles and how to meet them, as well as discussion of the drugs (and the companies behind them) that have received approval.

Report Summary

Antibody drug conjugates, a form of immune conjugates, are a burgeoning class of medicines. These medicines, which represent the convergence of chemistry with biology, are composed by linking a monoclonal antibody (mAb) with the cytotoxic drug (often referred to as the payload). ADCs combine the extraordinary affinity and specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the anticancer potential of payloads. Continuous efforts to improve the therapeutic potential of biologics and to develop novel
efficacious drugs either by modification or derivatization led to the development of ADCs.

Antibody drug conjugates have revolutionized the field of cancer treatment. Unlike conventional chemotherapeutics, which damage normal cells along with the cancer cells, ADCs target only cancer cells. Through the synergistic combination of monoclonal antibody with the cytotoxic drug, via a stable linker, an extremely efficacious class of anticancer drugs has been emerged. To date, three ADCs have gained entry into the market, of which only two remain. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg), marketed by Pfizer Inc., became the first FDA approved ADC in 2000. It was approved for the treatment of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia. In 2010, a decade after its approval, gemtuzumab ozogamicin was withdrawn from the market due to serious hepatotoxicity issues. As of today, only Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin, marketed by Seattle Genetics Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.) and Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine, marketed by Genentech Inc., a member of the Roche Group, are commercially available globally. Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) was approved in 2011 for relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma and relapsed anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, and Kadcyla (trastuzumab-DM1, or ado-trastuzumab emtansine) was approved in 2013 for HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)-expressing breast cancer.

Technological advancements, the growing number of cancer patients and increasing demand for biologics for the treatment of chronic diseases are the prime factors that are driving the market for ADCs. North America continues to lead the market for ADCs as it has the advanced technologies needed to develop ADCs. In addition, rising healthcare expenditures and huge government initiatives are also driving the North American market. Improving economic conditions, demand for better healthcare facilities, increasing health awareness, increasing incidence of chronic diseases and growing R&D activities will help the market for ADCs grow in Asia-Pacific. 

The ADC industry involves a specialization business model, more specifically a technology licensing model. In specialization models, certain companies discover and license its ADC technology to pharmaceutical companies. The two main ADC technology companies in terms of sheer numbers of licensing deals to date are ImmunoGen Inc. and Seattle Genetics Inc. ImmunoGen Inc., with its maytansinoid-based targeted antibody payload (TAP) technology, produced Kadcyla with Genentech Inc. Adcetris is a product of Seattle Genetics’ ADC linker and cytotoxin expertise coupled with an antibody from Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., now part of the Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Most pharmaceutical companies are investing in the ADC industry typically by forming a collaboration with Seattle Genetics Inc., ImmunoGen Inc. or other ADC technology company.