Immunotherapy
Immunotherapies were pioneered by the late Professor Dr. Rudolf Pekar, an Austrian renowned cell therapist and expert on bioelectrotherapy after gaining insights into how the body could defend and fight against cancer. He also developed a physical method of painless outpatient treatment for most accessible tumours. The therapy is further developed and patented by Swiss/German renowned Cell Therapists.
Active Specific Immunotherapy (ASI®) is one of the most recent advances in tumour therapy. The concept of modulating the immune system to achieve an anti-tumour response is undeniably an advancement in the modern medical field. It potentially helps fight cancer, allergic disorders and also other diseases such as autoimmune disease. It is based on the fact that the immune system is the best tool in combating the disease. Recent clinical studies reflect the effectiveness of immunotherapy in combination with accompanying therapies as a potential approach to specifically target cancer cells without causing any harm to the immune system.
One of the major benefits of Immunotherapy is that it does not display any form of toxicity. In addition it offers a different mode of attack on the tumor by strenghtening the immune system.
Immunotherapy: A Growing Need and Market
Recent USFDA approvals of immunotherapy have established immunotherapy as an emerging industry that will soar onto the clinical and financial markets. The graph below show the time line of drug discoveries from late 19th Century to 21st Century.
The demand of drugs used in the treatment for autoimmune disease is rising with the rising prevalence of autoimmune diseases. GBI Research analysis shows that autoimmune disorders therapeutics market was worth USD 16.9 billion in 2002 and grew at CAGR of 7.5% to USD 30.2 billion in 2010. The steady increased of the overall market during the forecast period indicates that in 2017 it estimated to reach up to USD 61.4 billion and soar higher by 2025. On the other hand, according to new study by Grand View Research Inch. growing prevalence of autoimmune diseases coupled with the presence of favourable government initiative is expected to positively reinforce the autoimmune disease diagnostic market.
Cancer: Driving the Demand for Immunotherapy
One of the major drivers for immunotherapy market is the increasing incidence of new cancer case and the number of death caused by cancer. The risk of developing cancer before 75years is as much as 35% in some country and based on 2008 – 2012 cases it was estimated that the number of new cases of cancer is 454.8 per 100,000 men and woman per year and by the year 2025, there will be an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and 11.4 million cancer deaths. Below graph shows that based on 14 million new cases and 8 million deaths caused by cancer, China is leading by 21% and 26% respectively compared to other countries.
In 2008, the total economic impact of premature death and disability from cancer worldwide was USD895 billion, which does not include the direct cost of treating cancer. The top three cancers that caused the most economic impact globally were Lung Cancer with USD188 billion, Colon Cancer with USD 99 billion and Breast cancer with USD 88 billion. Cancer causes the highest economic loss and AICR estimates that Americans lost approximately 83 billion years of healthy life because of cancer deaths and disabilities in 2008.