Middle East and Africa Clinical Trial Imaging Market – Industry Trends and Forecast to 2029

Middle East and Africa Clinical Trial Imaging Market Analysis and Insights

The increasing demand for imaging technology, followed by rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases due to rise in elderly population and strategic initiatives by market players such as product launch, advancement, acquisition and agreements are the factors that are expected to drive the market growth.

However, improper and unfavourable reimbursement scenarios for imaging devices and lack of well-defined standards in clinical trial imaging instruments are expected to restrain the market growth.

The rising technological progressions in clinical trial imaging for diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases are expected to drive market growth. Data Bridge Market Research analyzes that the Middle East and Africa clinical trial imaging market will grow at a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period of 2022 to 2029.

Market Definition

Clinical trial is a process of developing new drugs. It is designed for potential treatment and its effects on humans. Before the commercialization of new drugs, extensive clinical testing is done to identify promising compounds, and safety tests are conducted to determine the possible risks.

In clinical trials, medical imaging plays a significant role in more accurate and effective results. Different imaging technologies may be used to elucidate and demonstrate the mechanistic actions of drugs. Clinical trial imaging is the process of clinical analysis and medical intervention by creating image representations of inner parts of the body. It has several different technologies which are used to view the human body to monitor, treat, and diagnose medical conditions.

In the coming future, important decisions related to clinical trial imaging on drug discovery will be made by individuals who not only understand the biopsy but can also use the clinical trial imaging tools and the knowledge they release to develop hypotheses and identify quality targets

Middle East and Africa Clinical Trial Imaging Market Dynamics

Drivers

• Rising R&D Expenditure

Imaging and pharma companies are continuously investing in R&D to offer innovative services for clinical trial imaging to customers and enhance their market presence. Medical imaging plays a dynamic role in clinical development. While the medical imaging industry is in a constant state of fluctuation due to implementation of new technologies in the market, the pharmaceutical and imaging industries continue to increase. This is attributed to enhanced investment in medical imaging companies along with mergers and acquisitions as well as the adoption of innovation in imaging technologies to support clinical trials for medical devices. Increasing R&D expenditure in pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies is fuelling market growth.

This has encouraged the development of new products and high research-oriented programs organized in biopharmaceutical industries and a high preference for the studies of human genome. Rising expenditure on R&D activities also develops new drugs and therapies to treat chronic diseases that boost market growth. This helps the pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies in the development of new technologies in the category of imaging clinical trials therefore, rising R&D expenditure is expected to drive the market growth.

• Increasing Number of Contract Research Organizations (CROs)

Contract Research Organization (CRO) is an organization that gives support for clinical trials and other research services to imaging and pharmaceutical industries in the form of outsourced pharmaceutical research services in terms of both drugs and medical devices. CRO helps imaging and pharmaceutical industries with the drug development process to reduce the cost and initiate the process of bringing clinical trials to develop the drug for a particular disease segment by using clinical trial imaging and other processes to overcome capacity gaps of the in-house research team for pharmaceutical and clinical research.

A huge number of CROs are engaged in monitoring the drug development process such as PAREXEL (U.S.), PRA Health Sciences (U.S.), Labcorp (U.S.), PPD (U.S.), Syneos Health (U.S.), ICON plc (Ireland), Envigo (U.K.), Charles River (U.S.) and SGS (Switzerland) among others. These are some CROs that are engaged to give support for clinical trials and other research services to the imaging and pharmaceutical industries. The increasing number of CROs is expected to drive market growth.

Opportunities

• Rise in Healthcare Expenditure

Healthcare expenditure has increased across the world as people's disposable income in various countries is increasing. Moreover, to accomplish the population requirements, government bodies and healthcare organizations are taking the initiative by virtue of accelerating healthcare expenditure.

For instance,

• National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA) published a report which stated that the U.S. healthcare expenditure grew by 4.6% in 2019. This estimates USD 3.80 trillion for the overall U.S. population reported by U.S. Centers for Medicare (CMS) and GDP health, spending in the U.S. is accounted to reach 17.7%.

Growing healthcare expenditure is also beneficial for further growth in the economic and healthcare sector and it is primarily fruitful as it significantly affects the development of better and advanced medical products in the market. Therefore, the surge in healthcare expenditure is expected to create a greater opportunity for the market.

• Strategic Initiatives by Market Players

The demand for clinical trial imaging is increasing in the market owing to the increased levels of R&D along with the growth of clinical trial imaging market aided by the desire for innovative medications. Thus, the top market players have implemented a new strategy by developing new products and collaborating with other market players to improve business operations and profitability.

For instance,

• In February 2020, ICON plc acquired MedPass International, a European medical devices CRO, reimbursement and regulatory consultancy. This acquisition has reportedly helped in the expansion of the medical device and diagnostic research services of ICON in Europe.

These strategic initiatives by the market players, including acquisition, conferences and focused segment product launches, are helping them grow and improve the company's product portfolio, ultimately leading to more revenue generation. Hence, these strategic initiatives by the market players may act as an opportunity for market growth.

Restraints/Challenges

• High-Risk Radiation Causing Diseases

In clinical medical imaging, radiation is absorbed by the body which can harm molecular structures inside the patient’s body. High doses of radiation can affect human cells including loss of hair, skin burns and increased incidence of cancer. The estimated risk of developing fatal cancer is one in 2000 after going through a radiation dose of 10 mSv in a CT scan.

For instance,

• According to Radiological Society of America (RSNA), 1% to 2% of all cancers in the U.S. are caused by CT scans and the American Cancer Society identified CT scans and X-rays as one of the reasons for breast cancer, brain cancer and other cancers
• According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to high levels of radiation results in acute radiation syndrome. The amount of radiation that a person's body absorbs is called the radiation dose.

The high-risk radiation that occurs, would decrease the usage and sale of clinical trial imaging devices, thereby affecting the credibility of manufacturers involved in this market. Therefore, the high-risk radiation-causing diseases are expected to restrain the market growth.

• Strict Regulatory Policies

The healthcare industry is regulated by a structure of laws, rules & regulations that are extensive and complex.

For instance,

• In April 2018, the U.S. FDA released updated Guidance for Clinical Trial Imaging Endpoint Process Standards for the industry which includes the quality of imaging data obtained in clinical trials
• Biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries need to take first approval from the FDA for the process of drug development. They have to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA before beginning clinical research.

COVID-19 Impact on the Middle East and Africa Clinical Trial Imaging Market

Diagnostic imaging services have been time-consuming and complicated by the need for strict infection control and prevention practices developed to contain the risk of transmission and protect healthcare personnel. Hence, the decision to image suspected patients or COVID-19-positive patients is based on their impact on the improvement of patient status.

For instance,

• Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) are developing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suits that can greatly reduce any transmission risks to radiologists, operators, and patients, according to a letter published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. There was a perceived workload increase in general X-ray and Computed Tomography imaging procedures because they were the key modalities for the initial and follow-up investigations of COVID-19. However, there was adequate availability of PPE during the study period.  As a result, the limited availability of medical care for illnesses other than COVID-19 has had a negative influence on the number of medical imaging procedures performed globally.

Recent Developments

• In January 2022, Clario partnered with XingImaging, a radiopharmaceutical production and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) acquisition company, to deliver PET imaging clinical trials for testing novel therapeutics in China. The partnership offers to share the joint resources and neuroscience experts of Clario and XingImaging to expedite the start-up of clinical trials and drug discovery in China.
• In November 2021, Clario was formed. ERT and Bioclinica, merged to form Clario. The formation of the new company resulted in the distribution of clinical imaging software and services and rise in sales.

Middle East and Africa Clinical Trial Imaging Market Scope

Middle East and Africa clinical trial imaging market is segmented into five segments based on product and services, modality, application, end user, and distributor. The growth amongst these segments will help you analyze meager growth segments in the industries and provide the users with a valuable market overview and market insights to help them make strategic decisions for identifying core market applications.

Product and Services

• Services
• Software

Based on product and services, the market is segmented into services and software.

Modality

• Computed Tomography
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Echocardiography
• Nuclear Medicine
• Positron Emission Tomography
• X-ray
• Ultrasound
• Optical Coherence Tomography
• Others

Based on modality, the market is segmented into computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography, X-ray, ultrasound, optical coherence tomography and others.

Application

• Oncology
•  Neurology
•  Cardiology
•  Endocrinology
•  Dermatology
•  Hematology
•  Others

Based on application, the market is segmented into oncology, neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, dermatology, hematology and others.

End user

• Contract Research Organizations
• Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies
• Medical Device Manufacturers
• Academic and Government Research Institutes
• Others

Based on end user, the market is segmented into contract research organizations, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, medical device manufacturers, academic and government research institutes and others.

Distributor

• Direct Sales
•  Tender Sales

Based on distributor, the market is segmented into direct sales and tender sales.

Middle East and Africa Clinical Trial Imaging Market Regional Analysis/Insights

Middle East and Africa clinical trial imaging market is analyzed, and market size insights and trends are provided by regions, product and services, modality, application, end user, and distributor as referenced above.

The countries covered in this market report are South Africa, Saudi Arabia, rest of Middle East and Africa. Saudi Arabia is expected to dominate the market due to the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medical imaging in Saudi Arabia. AI plays a vital role in radiology; it is important to ensure that radiologists and radiographers have at least a minimum understanding of the technology.

The country section of the report also provides individual market-impacting factors and changes in regulations in the market domestically that impact the current and future trends of the market. Data points such as new sales, replacement sales, country demographics, disease epidemiology, and import-export tariffs are some of the major pointers used to forecast the market scenario for individual countries. Also, the presence and availability of Middle East and African brands and their challenges faced due to large or scarce competition from local and domestic brands impact on sales channels are considered while providing forecast analysis of the country data.

Competitive Landscape and Middle East and Africa Clinical Trial Imaging Market Share Analysis

The Middle East and Africa clinical trial imaging market competitive landscape provides details on the competitor. Details included are company overview, company financials, revenue generated, market potential, investment in R&D, new market initiatives, the Middle East and Africa presence, production sites and facilities, production capacities, company strengths and weaknesses, product launch, product width, and breadth, and application dominance. The above data points provided are only related to the companies' focus related to the Middle East and Africa clinical trial imaging market.

Some of the major players operating in the market are Navitas Life Sciences, Resonance Health Analytical Services, BioTelemetry, a Philips Company, IXICO plc, ICON plc, anagram 4 clinical trials, Quotient Sciences, WORLDCARE CLINICAL, Clario, Paraxel International Corporation, Median Technologies, Perspectum, Calyx, WIRB-Copernicus Group, and Invicro.LLC among others.

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