Huntington's Disease Treatment Market Trends

Growth Drivers  

• Rising government investments in research: Government and NGO’s are investing more in Huntington’s disease research pushing the growth of the market. The financial backing helps provide resources to accelerate drug development and clinical trials. Emergence of new treatments after research supports established pharmaceutical firms and emerging biotech companies, contributing significantly to the market’s growth. In December 2023, Harness Therapeutics raised USD 5 million to further the development of experimental treatment for HT. With increasing investment on research and support to patients during the treatment stage, the demand for HD treatment is poised to rise. Additionally, many patients remain deprived of HD care during treatment, and organizations like the HealthWell Foundation provides financial assistance to patients battling the disease which allows more people to seek HD treatment.

• Advancement in gene therapies and antisense oligonucleotide treatments: Rapid advanced in gene therapies help identify the underlying genetic causes of HD. For instance, in July 2024, uniQure’s investigational gene therapy, i.e., AMT-130 highlighted treatment with high doses of agent leading to slowing of disease progression and lowering of neurofilament light (NL) in patients afflicated with Huntington’s disease.
  
  Antisense oligonucleotide treatments are used for gene silencing to silence the mutant gene responsible for HT. In December 2023, the New England Journal of Medicine published research on the antisense oligonucleotide tominersen to slow the progression of HD by lowering the levels of huntingtin gene products including mutant huntingtin protein (HTT) and the phase 1-2a study of tominersen highlighted a positive dose-dependent reduction in cerebrospinal fluid levels of mutant HTT. Advancements in clinical studies is poised to lead a market boom as major companies race to patent new drugs and treatments.

• Growing percentage of early diagnosis: A major market constraint in the previous decades was the lack of early diagnosis of HD which prevented from administrating appropriate HD care. A growing understanding of HD is leading to early diagnosis that enables patients to start treatments sooner and stymy disease progression, and improve the quality of life. Predictive gene testing can identify genetic conditions before symptoms develop.
  
  Early diagnosis can help in HD care with family and caregivers reducing stress triggers for the patient and administer drugs such as haloperidol, tetrabenazine, and amantadine to manage the effects. The growing awareness and rising percentage of early diagnosis is fueling the demand for diagnostic tools and treatments, leading to a robust market growth.

Challenges

• Lack of standardized treatment: The most significant challenge to HD treatment is the lack of cure. There are currently no cures to the disease but there are treatments to manage the conditions. Despite significant advancements in gene therapies, potential treatments are in early stages of trial with clinical efficacy still remaining uncertain. Additionally, the disease is complex involving multiple neurological pathways and genetic factors which is why there is a lack of standardized treatment. Variability in patient response creates further hurdles for companies trying to find a widely effective drug. This can cause decline in market growth as treatment focused on symptom management can be limiting.

• High cost of treatment: The cost of HD treatment can be high owing to need for precision care. For instance, NLM published a report in January 2023 on the cost of HD treatment and care in the U.S. that Medicaid beneficiaries with HD have higher healthcare utilization that increases at later stages of the disease, causing greater financial burden. Additionally, long-term care is essential in HD treatment which also increases the financial burden. Higher costs of HD treatment limit the accessibility which in turn limits the rate of market growth.