The global radiopharmaceuticals market for therapy and PET and SPECT imaging could see annual growth of 8% over a five-year span to reach $4.7 billion in sales in 2015, according to a new report from MarketResearch.com.
The study valued the worldwide market at $3.2 billion in 2010, with PET and SPECT accounting for 90% of that total.
The increasing incidence of cancer and cardiac diseases and the need for better imaging techniques for diseases such as Alzheimer's are among two of the anticipated drivers of growth.
FDG is the major radiopharmaceutical used in PET and is employed in approximately 90% of procedures, the report noted. PET is preferred over SPECT because the modality offers greater accuracy, sensitivity, and better spatial resolution.
In addition, technetium-99, the main radiopharmaceutical used in SPECT, has a limited supply, forcing healthcare providers to look for alternatives, the report stated.
