The Global "Drug of Abuse Testing Market" is expected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecasting period (2022-2029).
Drug of abuse can be defined as a drug, chemical, or plant product that is known to be misused for recreational purposes. Drug of Abuse (DOA) testing is the clinical detection of one or more drugs within the human system, by sample testing. This is done for monitoring illegal drug intake or to provide clinical intervention. Drug of abuse (DOA) testing has evolved from a small number of companies that focused on substance abuse testing of their employees.
The global drug of abuse testing market growth is driven by the increasing demand for drug abuse treatment, stringent laws mandating alcohol and drug testing, rising drug-related mortality, and increasing government initiatives.
The increasing government initiatives will drive the market growth
The use of drugs was found to give rise to a lot of illegal activities that consume a lot of resources of a country. These aspects have driven the governments of developed and emerging nations to take legal action against addicts and abusers. Therefore, developed countries like the United States have stringent laws for drug abuse and have mandated alcohol and drug testing. To limit violence or accidents, drug and alcohol testing on the roads is becoming very common in developing and developed countries, which is helping the growth of the overall market. Thus, a growing trend witnessed in the drug abuse testing market is that leading players are enhancing their product portfolios by adding products and updating software with new substances for drug abuse testing to maintain their competency and market shares.
Identifying drug testing strategies is also necessary, as they may lead to the adoption of drug testing kits and devices and thus, boost the market growth. Other factors that are expected to positively affect the growth of this market include the increasing demand for drug addiction treatment, rising drug-related mortality, and growing government initiatives.
The lack of awareness and consideration of drug testing will hamper the growth of the market
However, the lack of awareness and consideration of drug testing as a breach of privacy rights in certain countries restricts the growth of the global drug abuse testing market. Also, social issues associated with the prescription of abuse testing, and DOA testing limitations are its inability to detect low-dose designer drugs restrict the market growth.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the market is expected to be significant. According to the research article published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2020, forced isolation and quarantine during COVID-19 can impact the behavior of drug abusers. Also, due to the stringent lockdown measures and social distancing to combat the coronavirus spread, an increase in alcohol and drug abuse is expected, further leading to isolated overdosing and posing a striking challenge for drug addicts. Additionally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2021, an individual with substance use disorder is expected to be severely ill if infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus. However, as per the research article published in Population Health Management, 2021, a significant decrease in the testing for prescription and illicit drugs was observed, with a weekly test volume decrease of 70%. Hence, there is an increased need for healthcare and public health organizations to be involved in drug abuse testing during the pandemic era to minimize the unfavorable health outcomes among the majority of the global population, and thus, the market is expected to be positively impacted during the pandemic.
The urine segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period (2022-2029)
Drug abuse testing by urine analysis has been suggested and implemented in many cases for workplace drug abuse, criminal justice cases, etc. There are many laboratory setups established to perform urinalysis associated with methadone treatment that has had to greatly expand their capacities. In recent years, many new laboratories have sprung up to meet the demands for drug assays, and clinical laboratories associated with medical centers, under economic pressures recent years, have begun to venture into drug testing. Therefore, the urine analysis segment of the market is expected to gain traction shortly.
Also, the technological developments in drug abuse testing, the increasing number of deaths due to drug overdose, and the growing demand for drug tests have led to the increasing use of urine analysis for drug abuse. Also, the advancements in guidelines by the providers are expected to boost the studied segment. For instance, with effect from April 2020, WellCare Health Plans announced the new Clinical Coverage Guidelines and Claims Payment Policy for urine drug testing and included definitive urine drug testing as medically necessary as part of a routine monitoring program for individuals who receive treatment for chronic pain with prescription opioid or other potentially abused medications or those undergoing treatment for, or monitoring for relapse of, opioid addiction or substance use disorder. Additionally, as per the research article published in the Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, 2020, there has been an increased adoption in the targeted panel of urine drug testing, and the value of clinical urine drug testing was observed to have improved by providing laboratory-based results interpretation and consultative services. Thus, these factors are driving the growth of the market in the forecast period.
The North American region holds the largest market share of the global drug abuse testing market
North America dominates the market for drug abuse testing and is expected to show a similar trend over the forecast period, owing to the high adoption of technologically advanced products for drug abuse testing, increased demand for illicit drugs in the region, large-scale drug trafficking, which are all responsible for the growth of the market in the region. As per the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health report, more than 500,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years were suffering from illicit drug use disorder 2018 in the United States. For adults aged 18 years or above, this number was reported to have increased from 4.6 million in 2017 to 4.9 million in 2018. Additionally, as per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2018 report Traffic Safety Facts, there were 36,560 fatalities in total due to driving under the influence of alcohol in 2018 in the United States.
Due to the increasing costs of lab-based screening tests, hospitals and drug management authorities are adopting on-the-spot testing kits. Manufacturers are developing easy-to-use and disposable drug of abuse testing systems to cater to high demand from hospitals and forensic labs. Thus, these factors are driving the growth of the market in the forecast period.
The drug of abuse testing market is a moderately competitive presence of local as well as global companies. Some of the key players which are contributing to the growth of the market include Abbott Laboratories, Danaher Corporation (Beckman Coulter), LabCorp, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KgaA, Quest Diagnostics Inc., Randox Testing Services, United States Drug Testing Laboratories Inc. (USDTL), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Siemens Healthineers AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd among others. The major players are adopting several growth strategies such as product launches, acquisitions, and collaborations, which are contributing to the growth of the drug of abuse testing market globally. For instance, in April 2020, Cordant Health Solutions began a telemedicine-based oral fluid drug testing solution to assist in providing critical care to individuals recovering from substance use disorder.
Abbott Laboratories
Overview:
Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad and diversified line of health care products. It operates through the following segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Nutritional Products, Diagnostic Products, and Medical Devices.
Product Portfolio:
iCUP DRUG SCREENING DEVICE: The iCup Drug Screen is an all-inclusive, on-site urine drug screening device that simplifies the collection process and tests for up to 17 drugs. The self-contained cup minimizes collector exposure to urine, while the device provides fast and reliable results within 5 minutes that can be photocopied for result recording. Adulteration test strips are also available.
The global drug of abuse testing market report would provide access to approximately 40+ market data tables, 45+ figures, and in the range of 180 pages.