Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product (Instruments, and Reagents & Kits), By Application (Blood Screening, and Blood Group Typing), By End User (Hospital-based Laboratories, and Independent Laboratories & Blood Banks) and Regional Forecast 2021-2028

The global blood transfusion diagnostics market size was USD 4.13 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow from USD 4.39 billion in 2021 to USD 7.08 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 7.1% in the 2021-2028 period. The impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and staggering, with blood transfusion diagnostics witnessing a negative impact on the adoption rate across all regions amid the pandemic. Based on our analysis, the global market exhibited a slower growth of 3.1% in 2020 as compared to the average year-on-year growth during 2017-2020.  The rise in CAGR is attributable to this market’s demand and growth, returning to pre-pandemic levels once the pandemic is over.

Blood transfusion diagnostics is referred to tests that are performed on blood and blood components before transfusing them to patients. Each blood unit must be tested for blood group typing and disease screening in order to prevent adverse reactions or transmission of any infection. It is a crucial part of transfusion therapy, which provides critical information to healthcare professionals and confirms the compatibility of donors and recipient blood samples.

Cancellation of Blood Drives and Reduction in Number of Voluntary Blood Donations Resulting in Slower Market Growth

The outbreak of Covid-19 has had a negative effect on the market. The pandemic has resulted in a decline in the number of voluntary blood donations and disrupted the supply chain of medical devices worldwide. Diminished donor inflow, lack of staff personnel, shortage of blood units, and concerns about transfusion-transmitted COVID-19 among people were some of the major challenges faced by blood banks and hospitals during the crisis.

For instance, according, to the American Red Cross, it was estimated that the organization lost around 46,000 blood unit donations as a result of the pandemic. Also, few donor centers experienced a dramatic reduction in blood donations due to the implementation of lockdown and the cancellation of blood drives.

However, most of the major countries lifted lockdown and stay-home regulations by the third quarter of 2020, which resulted in increasing blood donations and transfusion procedures across all blood centers.

LATEST TRENDS

Shift Toward Automated Molecular Platforms to Accelerate the Market Growth

The introduction of advanced molecular platforms by market key players is increasing the shift from manual tests and instruments toward semi-automated and fully automated instruments. These automated platforms have been pivotal in the rapid detection of Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTI’s) in blood samples and can precisely eliminate human error during the transfusion process.

For instance, in June 2017, Grifols, S.A., launched Erytra Eflexis, a fully automated mid-size analyzer in the market. This new analyzer was intended to perform pretransfusion compatibility testing using DG Gel technology and optimize the workflow in laboratories and blood banks.

Thus, the launch of such advanced automated systems has been instrumental in fueling the adoption of blood transfusion diagnostics and is expected to further drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.

DRIVING FACTORS

Increasing Demand for Blood and Blood Components to Boost the Demand

The growing prevalence of blood-related disorders, such as hemophilia, cancer, thrombocytopenia, etc., and chronic kidney disease (CKD), has propelled the demand for blood products and complete blood transfusion. 

• For instance, according to the data published by World Kidney Day, in 2020, around 850 million people worldwide were suffering from kidney disorders. Also, it was observed that one in ten adults suffers from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and this condition is expected to become the fifth most common cause of death by the end of 2040.

Also, the increasing number of patients suffering from anemia, which requires red blood cell transfusion for its treatment, is anticipated to upsurge the demand for blood transfusion diagnostics. For instance, according to the estimations of the World Health Organization (WHO), anemia affects around 1.62 billion people across the world.

This, along with the increasing awareness regarding blood safety from infectious diseases through several programs in developed and emerging countries is resulting in high demand for blood screening tests and other diagnostic tools. Thus, the above factors are increasing the demand for transfusion diagnostics and are subsequently propelling the growth of the market during the forecast period.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

High Cost of Instruments and Lack of Infrastructure to Restrict the Growth in Emerging Countries

Despite the increasing prevalence of chronic blood diseases and higher demand for blood products and transfusion, there are some factors that are limiting the growth of this market. One of the factors is the lack of spending on healthcare infrastructure and stringent government policies, especially in emerging countries as compared to developed countries.

Additionally, the high cost associated with the tests, instruments, and reagents coupled with the lack of skilled professionals to handle automated diagnostic solutions is one of the certain factors limiting the blood transfusion diagnostics market growth during the forecast period.

SEGMENTATION

By Product Analysis

Reagent & Kits to Dominate the Market in 2020

Among product, the global market is segmented into instruments and reagents and kits. The reagents and kits segment held the dominating share in 2020 owing to the repetitive sales of these products required for screening and blood group typing both the donor and recipient samples. However, the instruments segment accounted for a comparatively lower share in 2020 due to the higher cost and longer shelf life of these instruments.

By Application Analysis

Blood Disease Screening to Hold a Dominant Position during the Forecast Period

On the basis of application, the blood transfusion diagnostic market is segmented into blood screening and blood group typing. The blood screening segment dominated the global market in 2020 due to increasing incidences of transfusion transmissible infections (TTI) worldwide.

The blood group typing segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR owing to the introduction of automated analyzers and increasing demand for group typing and cross-matching tests before transfusion therapy in order to test the compatibility of donor and recipient blood samples.

By End User Analysis

Independent Laboratories & Blood Banks to Register a Higher CAGR During 2021-2028

Based on end user, the market includes hospital-based laboratories and independent laboratories & blood banks. The hospital-based laboratories segment is anticipated to register significant growth during the forecast period due to the increasing number of blood transfusion procedures in hospitals.

In addition, various hospitals are actively implementing blood management programs in order to conserve blood units and facilitate the transfusion process, which is further expected to boost the growth of this segment.

The independent laboratories & blood banks segment dominated the market in 2020. The dominance is attributed to large number of blood transfusions performed in these settings along with the increasing number of stand-alone blood banks & laboratories in developed as well as emerging countries.

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

The market size in North America stood at USD 1.66 billion in 2020. The dominance is due to higher adoption of the blood transfusion process, increasing awareness among the general population about blood donations, and established healthcare infrastructure in the region. For instance, according to the data published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, in the U.S, nearly 15 million blood units are transfused every year and about 85 million units are transfused worldwide.

The market in Europe is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR owing to the availability of CE-approved instrument assays for serological and Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) based methods in European countries.

Asia Pacific is expected to register a comparatively higher CAGR during the forecast period. The rapid growth is due to constant initiatives by the government and NGOs in emerging countries to increase awareness regarding blood donations coupled with the presence of a large population suffering from severe blood disorders.

Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are expected to register a moderate CAGR during the forecast period due to the presence of a huge untapped market.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Immucor, Inc., Grifols, S.A., and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics are Major Players of the Market

The global blood transfusion diagnostics market is fragmented with players, such as Immucor, Inc., Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. and Grifols, S.A., accounting for a major share in 2020. The robust product portfolio for blood transfusion diagnostics, strong distribution network, and constant focus on research and development are the key factors responsible for the market position of these players.

• For instance, in October 2019, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics announced the approval of the U.S FDA for the Ortho Sera use on its VISION analyzer. Ortho Sera is a suite of extended antigen phenotyping, which covers over 99.0% of the most commonly tested blood group antigens, offering support to patients with unexpected antibodies.

Grifols S.A., one of the leading players in the market, boasts of a strong diversified portfolio of test kits and products for blood transfusion diagnostics. The company sold over 3 million gel cards in the U.S., in 2019. The company screened an estimated 32 million units of blood in 2019. 

Other players operating in the market are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, QUOTIENT, Abbott Laboratories, and Merck KGaA.

LIST OF KEY COMPANIES PROFILED:

• Grifols, S.A. (Barcelona, Spain)


• Immucor, Inc. (Georgia, United States)


• Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (California, United States)


• Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (New Jersey, United States)


• F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Basel, Switzerland)


• QUOTIENT (Eysins, Switzerland)


• Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany)


• Abbott (Illinois, United States)


• Other Players

 KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• April 2021 – EryPharm introduced an advanced technology in the market which can produce red blood cells in large volume and can develop new sourcing for blood transfusion. The company is planning to enter a pilot production phase and increase the production of Cultured Red Blood Cells (cRBC) using Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSC).


• March 2021 – F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., entered into a global partnership agreement in order to provide the customers access to Bio-Rad’s complete line of InteliQ products and Unity QC data management solutions.


• February 2019 – Torax Biosciences Limited launched its B2B IVD bulk reagents for latex serology and blood grouping assays in the market. The company aims to provide visual latex agglutination assays ASO, CRP and RF and blood grouping assays in a FFMU formats or filled formats to its distribution partners, manufacturing companies or hospitals.

REPORT COVERAGE

The blood transfusion diagnostics market research report provides a detailed analysis of the market and focuses on key aspects such as leading companies, products, applications and end users. Besides this, it offers insights into the market trends and highlights key industry developments. In addition to the aforementioned factors, the report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the advanced market over recent years.

Report Scope & Segmentation