Herpes Simplex Virus Market

Market Overview:

The herpes simplex virus market reached a value of USD 1,684.8 Million across the top 7 markets (US, EU4, UK, and Japan) in 2024. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the top 7 major markets to reach USD 3,189.9 Million by 2035, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 5.98% during 2025-2035.

The herpes simplex virus market has been comprehensively analyzed in IMARC's new report titled "Herpes Simplex Virus Market: Epidemiology, Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity, and Forecast 2025-2035". Herpes simplex virus (HSV), or herpes, is a common illness that can result in painful blisters or ulcers. It spreads predominantly through skin-to-skin contact. There are two forms of herpes simplex virus. Type 1 (HSV-1) is mostly transmitted through oral contact and produces infections in or around the mouth (oral herpes or cold sores). It may also cause genital herpes. Most adults are infected with HSV-1. Type 2 (HSV-2) is transmitted through sexual contact and produces genital herpes. The majority of people experience no or only moderate symptoms. Some common indications of the ailment include fever, swollen lymph nodes, body aches and pains, headache, unusual tiredness or fatigue, lack of appetite, shooting pain at the site of the infection, etc. Diagnosing herpes simplex virus commonly involves a comprehensive clinical assessment and physical examination. The healthcare provider may also conduct several blood workups, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence assays, to measure the levels of antibodies in the blood. In cases of suspected encephalitis or meningitis, a spinal tap may be performed to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid for analysis.

The escalating cases of viral diseases, in which the virus spreads through skin-to-skin contact, especially with sores or fluids from an infected person, or through sexual contact, are primarily driving the herpes simplex virus market. In addition to this, the inflating utilization of antiviral medications, including acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, to help reduce the severity and duration of outbreaks in individuals suffering from the illness, is also creating a positive outlook for the market. Moreover, the widespread adoption of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, since it aids in early diagnosis by detecting even low levels of viral DNA or RNA in the patient's sample, is further bolstering the market growth. Apart from this, the rising usage of topical corticosteroids, which can be applied directly on the affected site to reduce inflammation and pain associated with the condition, is acting as another significant growth-inducing factor. Additionally, the emerging popularity of lipid nanoparticle formulations for developing vaccines and therapies against HSV in order to offer potent immune responses and protection against infection is expected to drive the herpes simplex virus market during the forecast period.

IMARC Group's new report provides an exhaustive analysis of the herpes simplex virus market in the United States, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and United Kingdom) and Japan. This includes treatment practices, in-market, and pipeline drugs, share of individual therapies, market performance across the seven major markets, market performance of key companies and their drugs, etc. The report also provides the current and future patient pool across the seven major markets. According to the report the United States has the largest patient pool for herpes simplex virus and also represents the largest market for its treatment. Furthermore, the current treatment practice/algorithm, market drivers, challenges, opportunities, reimbursement scenario and unmet medical needs, etc. have also been provided in the report. This report is a must-read for manufacturers, investors, business strategists, researchers, consultants, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the herpes simplex virus market in any manner.

Recent Developments:

In June 2023, Innovative Molecules GmbH announced that the first subjects had received IM-250 in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The study evaluates the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of IM-250 in healthy volunteers. IM-250 is a highly potent inhibitor of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 replication.

Drugs:

Zovirax (Acyclovir) is a herpes simplex virus deoxynucleoside analogue DNA polymerase inhibitor used to treat recurrent herpes labialis (cold sores) in immunocompetent adults and adolescents 12 years and older. Zovirax suppresses HSV reproduction by being transformed to acyclovir triphosphate (ACV-TP), which then competitively inhibits viral DNA polymerase and integrates into viral DNA, leading to chain termination.

Valtrex (Valacyclovir) is a prodrug, which means it is inactive until it is transformed into the active form, acyclovir, in the body. Acyclovir is a nucleoside analog that is phosphorylated first by virally encoded thymidine kinase (TK) and subsequently by cellular enzymes to produce acyclovir triphosphate. Acyclovir triphosphate competitively inhibits viral DNA polymerase, the enzyme that replicates viral DNA. Acyclovir triphosphate also incorporates into the developing viral DNA chain, resulting in chain termination due to a lack of the 3'-hydroxyl group required for continued DNA elongation.

Famvir (Famciclovir) is a nucleoside analog DNA polymerase inhibitor that is used to treat recurrent cold sores and genital herpes in both healthy and HIV-positive patients. Famciclovir is rapidly biotransformed into the potent antiviral component penciclovir, which inhibits HSV-1, HSV-2, and varicella zoster virus (VZV). In cells infected with HSV-1, HSV-2, or VZV, viral thymidine kinase phosphorylates penciclovir to a monophosphate, which is then transformed into penciclovir triphosphate by cellular kinases. According to in vitro experiments, penciclovir triphosphate competes with deoxyguanosine triphosphate to inhibit HSV-2 DNA polymerase. Consequently, herpes virus DNA synthesis and replication are selectively suppressed.

UB-621 is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to the glycoprotein D (gD) protein, which is a key protein on the surface of HSV that is essential for the virus to enter cells. By binding to gD, UB-621 prevents the virus from attaching to and entering host cells, thereby neutralizing the virus and inhibiting its ability to replicate and cause infection. The drug is being investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of recurrent genital herpes and potentially for the prevention of neonatal HSV infection.

IM-250, developed by Innovative Molecules, is a helicase-primase inhibitor that specifically targets the helicase-primase enzyme complex, which is essential for HSV to replicate its DNA. By inhibiting helicase-primase, IM-250 prevents the virus from unwinding its DNA, thereby halting the replication process and preventing the virus from multiplying.

Time Period of the Study

• Base Year: 2024
• Historical Period: 2019-2024
• Market Forecast: 2025-2035

Countries Covered

• United States
• Germany
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Spain
• Japan

Analysis Covered Across Each Country

• Historical, current, and future epidemiology scenario
• Historical, current, and future performance of the herpes simplex virus market
• Historical, current, and future performance of various therapeutic categories in the market
• Sales of various drugs across the herpes simplex virus market
• Reimbursement scenario in the market
• In-market and pipeline drugs

Competitive Landscape:

This report also provides a detailed analysis of the current herpes simplex virus marketed drugs and late-stage pipeline drugs.

In-Market Drugs

• Drug Overview
• Mechanism of Action
• Regulatory Status
• Clinical Trial Results
• Drug Uptake and Market Performance

Late-Stage Pipeline Drugs

• Drug Overview
• Mechanism of Action
• Regulatory Status
• Clinical Trial Results
• Drug Uptake and Market Performance

*Kindly note that the drugs in the above table only represent a partial list of marketed/pipeline drugs, and the complete list has been provided in the report.

Key Questions Answered in this Report:

Market Insights

• How has the herpes simplex virus market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?
• What are the markets shares of various therapeutic segments in 2024 and how are they expected to perform till 2035?
• What was the country-wise size of the herpes simplex virus market across the seven major markets in 2024 and what will it look like in 2035?
• What is the growth rate of the herpes simplex virus market across the seven major markets and what will be the expected growth over the next ten years?
• What are the key unmet needs in the market?

Epidemiology Insights

• What is the number of prevalent cases (2019-2035) of herpes simplex virus across the seven major markets?
• What is the number of prevalent cases (2019-2035) of herpes simplex virus by age across the seven major markets?
• What is the number of prevalent cases (2019-2035) of herpes simplex virus by gender across the seven major markets?
• How many patients are diagnosed (2019-2035) with herpes simplex virus across the seven major markets?
• What is the size of the herpes simplex virus patient pool (2019-2024) across the seven major markets?
• What would be the forecasted patient pool (2025-2035) across the seven major markets?
• What are the key factors driving the epidemiological trend of herpes simplex virus?
• What will be the growth rate of patients across the seven major markets?

Herpes Simplex Virus: Current Treatment Scenario, Marketed Drugs and Emerging Therapies

• What are the current marketed drugs and what are their market performance?
• What are the key pipeline drugs and how are they expected to perform in the coming years?
• How safe are the current marketed drugs and what are their efficacies?
• How safe are the late-stage pipeline drugs and what are their efficacies?
• What are the current treatment guidelines for herpes simplex virus drugs across the seven major markets?
• Who are the key companies in the market and what are their market shares?
• What are the key mergers and acquisitions, licensing activities, collaborations, etc. related to the herpes simplex virus market?
• What are the key regulatory events related to the herpes simplex virus market?
• What is the structure of clinical trial landscape by status related to the herpes simplex virus market?
• What is the structure of clinical trial landscape by phase related to the herpes simplex virus market?
• What is the structure of clinical trial landscape by route of administration related to the herpes simplex virus market?