The antiviral drugs market is slated to witness notable expansion through 2028 driven by surging incidences of antiviral infections across the globe.

The onset of COVID-19 prompted massive R&D activities worldwide to find effective therapeutic remedies for the novel coronavirus infection. As a result, increased focus on the development of novel drugs for viral infections like COVID-19 has been favorable for the product landscape during the pandemic.

The antiviral drugs market has been categorized on the basis of drug class, indication, type, age group, and region. Based on drug class, the market has been further segregated into reverse transcriptase inhibitors, neuraminidase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, DNA polymerase inhibitors, and others.

The others sub-segment was valued at nearly USD 18 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to register solid revenue growth over 2022-2028 primarily driven by continuous developments and advancements in drug therapies. Combination therapy offers several advantages, such as high bioavailability, shelf life, and efficacy. Prevalent usage of combination therapy for enhanced patient outcomes is set to accelerate segmental growth through the assessment timeframe.

In terms of indication, the industry has been classified into HIV AIDS, influenza, herpes simplex virus (HSV), hepatitis, coronavirus infection, and others. The antiviral drugs market size from the influenza sub-segment is slated to witness robust expansion at about 2.8% CAGR between 2022 and 2028 on account of prominent R&D activities. High recurrence of seasonal flu as well as continuous changes in strain would create need for drug development, which is likely to stimulate segmental progress.

By type, the market has been bifurcated into generic and branded. In 2021, the branded sub-segment held more than 71% share in the market and is projected to observe strong growth over the review timeline. Greater effectiveness of branded drugs and extensive product pipelines are foreseen to boost product adoption. Moreover, strong presence of key market players is expected to positively influence segmental revenue in the coming years.

With respect to age group, the antiviral drugs market has been segmented into pediatric, adult, and geriatric. The geriatric sub-segment garnered over USD 20 billion in revenue in 2021 and is speculated to grow at a considerable rate through 2028. High prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among the geriatric population, along with high healthcare spendings and presence of large patient pool, is primed to propel segmental expansion.

In the regional landscape, the Latin America antiviral drugs market accounted for around 3.7% of the overall industry revenue in 2021 and is estimated to reach a sizable revenue by the end of 2028 owing to increasing occurrences of COVID-19 and HIV, coupled with growing awareness regarding available treatments across the region. Furthermore, market participants are implementing several growth strategies to broaden their market footprints, which is forecast to promote market growth in LATAM in the future.