Sterilization Equipment and Disinfectants Market Overview
Due to growing population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and continuous advancements in medical technology; the number of medical interventions including surgeries, preventive screenings, and different types of medical and pathology tests are increasing worldwide. These are some of the key factors driving the growth of the global sterilization equipment and disinfectants market. According to the National Quality Forum’s Surgery 2015-2017 final report, the rate of surgical procedures continues to increase annually. This increasing number of surgical procedures is leading to rise in the adoption of decontamination process for sterilizing medical utensils, surgical instruments and bedpans, medical devices and other products used in the healthcare settings.
The sterilization equipment and disinfectants market has been segmented on the basis of decontamination method, product, and end user. Based on the type of decontamination method, the market has been further categorised into physical, chemical and mechanical types. Chemical decontamination methods hold the largest share in this market, mainly due to the popularity of ethylene oxide and other chemical-based decontamination methods. Physical methods of decontamination include heating, radiation and filtration.
On the basis of product type, the sterilization equipment and disinfectants market is segmented into sterilization equipment and disinfectants. The market for sterilization equipment is further sub-segmented into heat, low temperature, radiation and filtration sterilizers. Heat sterilizers hold the largest share in this market, and the category is expected to maintain this trend during the forecast period.
Autoclave is a predominantly used sterilization equipment, that uses pressure and steam to maintain extreme temperature for killing microorganisms. It is used to sterilize surgical instruments, utensils, gowns, wrapped/unwrapped goods and other healthcare instruments and supplies. However, the modern complicated and technologically advanced equipment (such as endoscopes) could be damaged by high temperature and humidity of autoclaves, which decreases their demand to some extent. Ethylene Oxide (ETO) is a widely adopted low-temperature sterilant, and is used to sterilize temperature and moisture-sensitive medical devices and supplies in the healthcare settings.
On the basis of activity level, the sterilization equipment and disinfectants market has been categorized into high-level, intermediate-level, and low-level. Generally, the high-level disinfectants have broad-spectrum activity and destroy all microorganisms; whereas intermediate-level disinfectants kill all vegetative bacteria, including mycobacterium tuberculosis, most viruses including lipid enveloped and some non-lipid enveloped viruses, and fungi. Low-level disinfectants are effective against most vegetative bacteria (except mycobacterium tuberculosis), some viruses, fungi, and lipid viruses (e.g., hepatitis B, C, Hantavirus and HIV) and some non-lipid viruses.
On the basis of end user, the sterilization equipment and disinfectants market is classified into hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical industry and clinical laboratories. The hospitals as an end-user category hold the largest share in this market, due to strict regulations for implementing sterilization techniques to elevate hospital acquired infections.
Sterilization equipment and disinfecting agents are critical components of decontamination processes. Sterilization kills microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and spores; while disinfectants eliminate/reduce/inactivate the microorganisms (not including their spores) to minimal level. Sterilization equipment and disinfectants are extensively used in the medical, pharmaceutical and food industries for public safety. In some circumstances where sterilization is not necessary and impracticable, the disinfection procedure is followed to reduce infections. Moreover, the sterilization and disinfection methods vary in every element of the pharmaceuticals, healthcare industries, and food industries.
North America dominates the global sterilization equipment and disinfectants industry and is expected to continue with this trend during the forecast period. This leading position of the regional market is mainly due to the developed healthcare infrastructure and stringent patient safety regulations and reimbursement policies in the region. However, the market in Asia-Pacific is expected to witness considerable growth in the coming years, due to improving healthcare infrastructure, growing demand of healthcare services, and increasing focus on controlling healthcare associated infections, such as central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), and surgical site infections (SSI).
Sterilization Equipment and Disinfectants Market Dynamics
Growing focus on hygiene and sanitation in healthcare settings including hospitals, clinics, and clinical laboratories to control healthcare associated infections, and infectious disease outbreak is leading to the growth of the sterilization equipment and disinfectants market, globally. For instance, under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP), the hospitals in the U.S. are subjected to financial penalties for "preventable" healthcare associated infections, such as CLABSI and CAUTI (catheter-associated urinary tract infections).
However, to avoid chances of infections and fatalities the adoption of disposable medical instruments and devices in hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical industry, and clinical laboratories has been increasing, which eliminates the need for sterilization or disinfections. This acts as a major factor hindering the growth of sterilization equipment and disinfectants industry. Furthermore, the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance also negatively impacts the market growth.
Sterilization Equipment and Disinfectants Market Competitive Landscape
Some of the key players in sterilization equipment and disinfectants industry are Advanced Sterilization Products Division Ethicon US LLC., Belimed AG, BMT Medical Technology s.r.o., CareFusion Corporation, Nordion Inc. and STERIS plc. Other prominent competitors in the market include Bio-Cide International Inc., Cantel Medical Corp., Diversey Inc., MEIKO Maschinenbau GmbH & Co KG, CS Medical LLC, Swisher International, Inc., and Tuttnauer Europe B.V., among others.
The study provides historical as well the forecast market size data for various countries including the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, U.K., Japan, China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
