Europe Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Instrument (7500, Quantstudio Dx, ViiA 7 Dx, StepOne/StepOne Plus, LightCycler 2.0, Cobas 4800, LightCycler 480), And Segment Forecasts to 2022

Industry Insights

The European Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) market was valued at over USD 182 million in 2014. Key drivers encouraging market growth include rising prevalence of infectious diseases, cancer, cardiometabolic disorders, and growing geriatric population base.

Real-time PCR (qPCR) is an essential molecular diagnostic tool in clinical laboratories for early disease diagnosis. Early diagnosis of cancer helps in determining treatment alternatives depending on the type of cancer. The instrument also plays an imperative role in diagnosing infectious diseases by rendering effective, accurate, and multiple results in a single run.

The introduction of technologically advanced instruments with high accuracy, portability, and cost-effectiveness is expected to serve the qPCR market as a high-impact rendering driver. For example, Applied Biosystems has introduced QuantStudio Dx series for rapid and affordable diagnosis of molecular abnormalities at the early stage of disease development.

Instrument Insights

Various real-time PCR instruments include 7500 Fast Dx, QuantStudio Dx, and ViiA 7 Dx by Applied BioSystems, LightCycler 2.0, Cobas 4800, and Light Cycler 480 by Roche, CFX96 by Bio-Rad. Smart Cycler by Cepheid, Rotor-Gene Q by Qiagen, and MasterCycler by Eppendorf.

Europe real time PCR market by instrument, 2014, (units installed)

The above illustration represents the percentage share of consumers using various qPCR instruments. The majority of the installed units share is covered by StepOne/StepOne plus from ABI/Thermo Fisher, LightCycler from Roche, and CFX 96 from Bio-Rad.

According to the respondents, presence of user-friendly software, robust machine structure, and excellent support services are the factors attributing for high market coverage of these devices.

The qPCR instruments from Qiagen are emerging to be one of the widely used instruments. The qPCR reagent kits and High-Resolution Melting (HRM) technology are much easier to use with Rotor-Gene from Qiagen.

MasterCycler Pro, MasterCycler Nexus, and MasterCycler Nexus X2 are the qPCR systems from Eppendorf. DTprime and DTlite are used for real-time PCR analysis of IVD application. DTlite is innovative equipment with a compact body and is irreplaceable in routine diagnosis in laboratories and scientific research.

Cepheid’s SmartCycler qPCR instrument is used for both life science research as well as diagnostic purpose. The instrument is available in 16, 32, 48, 64, 80, or 96 well configurations. Probes such as TaqMan probes, Molecular Beacons, Amplifluor, and Scorpion can be used with this instrument. Advantages associated with this instrument such as high speed and multiplex capabilities are expected to drive the growth of this market.

The U.S. FDA-approved Qiagen’s qPCR instruments are used for wide in vitro diagnostics applications such high-resolution melting for gene expression analysis, genotyping, mutation analysis, and DNA methylation analysis.

Regional Insights

Germany is one of the most populous European countries. In 2014, Germany represented the largest regional market in Europe with revenue generation of over USD 9 million. Factors such as the presence of sophisticated healthcare infrastructure coupled with high healthcare expenditure and high awareness levels among target population in the UK are expected to further accelerate the use of qPCR instruments.

Countries such as France and Spain are experiencing economic growth over the past few years. These countries are expected to offer immense potential for Europe real-time PCR industry, mainly due to growing economy and high unmet needs.

Competitive Market Share Insights

The real-time PCR market is oligopolistic in nature. The most prominent players across major segments include Applied Biosystems/Thermo Fischer Scientific, Qiagen, and Bio-Rad. Sustainability strategies such as new product development, mergers, and acquisitions are adopted by key market players. For instance, Qiagen acquired Corbett Life Sciences in 2008, which had a range of qPCR instruments such as Rotor-Gene 6000 and Rotor-Gene 3000.

Analyst Perspective

Clinical diagnostics is rapidly emerging as an integral driving factor for the healthcare industry. Products touting technological advancements designed in congruence with unmet consumer needs are currently spearheading segment growth. This study focuses on brand analysis aimed at providing competitive benchmarking for all market participants.

Europe real time PCR market by instrument, 2014, (units installed)

Key attributes of this study include brand revenue estimates and forecasts categorized into clinical and research uses, the number of installed units, market penetration, and country-level sales estimates.

Primary research was used as the backbone to validate results. From the analysis of clinical laboratory experts, various factors, especially key purchasing criteria, the average price of instruments, preferred instruments for clinical testing, and European market coverage by brand and by countries were analyzed. Over 480 primary respondents’ perspectives on the industry were included in the study.

Key factors affecting purchase of a qPCR instrument

The above illustration represents the perspectives of buyers while purchasing new instruments for clinical laboratories. The quality and technical support were the most important factors while choosing the real-time PCR instruments. The closely followed factors include the price of instruments, consumption of reagents, and cost of reagents used along with the equipment.