Dermatophytosis Treatment Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Increased awareness: Patients are highly aware and informed about skin health, prompted by the continued awareness programs, media exposure, and health education, fostering a profitable business environment for the dermatophytosis treatment market. In May 2022, Bayer reported that it had relaunched its global antifungal brand called Canesten in India, which offers improved formulations in cream and powder formats based on the original research molecule Clotrimazole. It is designed to treat a wide range of skin fungal infections and enables relief from symptoms such as itching, irritation, and redness, especially among women who often ignore early signs.
• Advances in diagnostics and drug delivery formulations: The continued advancements in terms of molecular assays, faster culture/microscopy) help with early, accurate detection will extensively support the treatment uptake in this field. As per an article published by ASM Journals in September 2024, the Novaplex dermatophyte multiplex qPCR assay was evaluated using 312 clinical samples, which displayed a sensitivity of 92.9% when compared to traditional culture methods, wherein results are available significantly faster and are highly effective for routine dermatophytosis diagnosis, especially in non-specialized labs.
• Demographic variations: The rapidly aging demographics are highly susceptible to fungal infections, whereas the rising occurrence of comorbidities such as diabetes and obesity is further increasing the exposure to the concern. The study by NIH in August 2022, which conducted a large-scale Korean cohort study of over 4.5 million people aged between 20 and 40, found that higher BMI and waist circumference increased the risk of dermatophytosis. Individuals with severe obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) had a 36% higher risk (HR 1.36), while those with abdominal obesity (waist circumference >90 cm for men, >85 cm for women) also showed elevated risk (HR 1.057).

Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Outcomes in Onychomycosis 2024 Study

Source: NIH

Challenges

• Rising antifungal resistance: One of the critical problems in the dermatophytosis treatment market is the growing resistance to commonly used antifungal medications. The overuse and misuse of topical combinations can often lead to steroid-modified and treatment-resistant infections, creating a hesitancy among consumers to utilize them. Therefore, this has further forced clinicians to prescribe newer and longer-duration therapies, increasing both the complexity and cost of treatments.
• High out-of-pocket costs: The aspect of limited insurance coverage & high out-of-pocket costs is making it extremely challenging for patients from price-sensitive regions. Also, the most effective antifungal drugs are mostly not listed under the national essential medicines list and are excluded from public health insurance schemes, making them unaffordable for underprivileged populations. Hence, this lack of universal coverage for dermatophytosis and limited government reimbursement hinders expansion across different nations.