What is ARDS?

What is the ARDS? (ARDS Market)

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a rapidly progressive disease occurring in critically ill patients. The major complication in ARDS is marked by leakage of fluid into the lungs, making breathing difficult or impossible. Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common condition characterized by acute severe hypoxia that is not due to left atrial hypertension.

The term ALI encompasses a continuum of clinical and radiographic changes that affect the lungs with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) representing the more severe end of this continuum. Despite advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology and management of ALI, it is still associated with high mortality.

Out of total COVID-19 cases, the patients who are critically ill — very few and ranging from 1–4% — constitute the potential pool for ARDS.

What are the causes of ARDS?

The causes of ARDS are divided into two categories: direct or indirect injuries to the lung. Some of the direct injuries to the lung include pneumonia, aspiration, trauma, and others. Whereas the indirect injuries to the lung include inflammation of the pancreas, severe infection (also known as sepsis), blood transfusions, burns, and medication reactions.

The few symptoms of ARDS are shortness of breath, cough, and fever; in some cases, fast heart rates and rapid breathing have been reported as well. Occasionally, patients of ARDS experience chest pain, especially during inhalation, and some patients also experience bluish coloring of nails and lips due to the severely decreased oxygen levels in the blood. Several risk factors may escalate the risk of ARDS; this involves obesity, alcohol abuse, chemotherapy, low protein in blood.

The ARDS Market is expected to grow, driven by the factors like an increase in the incident pool, expected entry of emerging therapies such as Traumakine, BIO-11006, MultiStem, and Solnatide in the 7MM markets. The increase in market size is also a consequence of a rise in awareness and disease understanding.

Apart from above mentioned molecules, Lenzilumab, tocilizumab (TCZ), aviptadil, ruxolitinib, tradipitant, and remestemcel-L, are the other pipeline therapies, which are expected to enter the market in the forecasted period that will be targeting the COVID-19 associated ARDS.