Australia’s MI Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market to Grow Fastest in APAC

Australia’s minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) devices market is set to be the fastest growing in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, driven by the government’s 2020 decision to make MIGS a standalone procedure, according to GlobalData. This forecast is particularly beneficial to glaucoma patients in Australia, given that procedures using MIGS devices have been proved to be efficient in reducing intra-ocular pressure (IOP), as well as demonstrating enhanced safety, rapid recovery and reduced dependency on medications.*

GlobalData predicts Australia’s MIGS devices market to grow at a 9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2022 and 2030. Australia is followed by New Zealand at 5% growth and Taiwan at 4.5% growth. Australia was the first country in the APAC region to approve MIGS as a standalone procedure in 2020 
 
MIGS devices allow for personalized treatment for mild-to-moderate glaucoma, an ocular disease that is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness globally. According to Tham et al.,** the number of people with glaucoma worldwide is expected to reach 112 million in 2040. GlobalData claims APAC accounts for the largest number of glaucoma cases worldwide, despite having a lower glaucoma prevalence.  
 
“MIGS, being approved as standalone procedure, provides benefits such as reduced operative time, less scarring, fewer operative complications and faster recovery,” said Chetna Kaushik, a medical devices analyst at GlobalData. “Intrusive procedures such as trabeculectomy and tube shunt surgery, on the other hand, takes approximately six weeks for recovery and could result in complications such as infection, internal eye bleeding and even permanent loss of vision. MIGS is yet to be approved as a standalone procedure in other APAC countries.”
 
GlobalData also notes that other drivers of MIGS market growth included government initiatives, growing awareness of minimally invasive procedures among patients, and Australia’s aging population. 
 
“The Australian government has been fully supportive of MIGS. As well as making MIGS a standalone procedure, the country’s Medicare has been providing reimbursements for MIGS. The Australian government’s Medical Benefit Scheme might provide public funding for Novaeye Medical’s iTrack to be approved as standalone MIGS procedure,***” Kaushik said. “This support will significantly boost the MIGS devices market. Further, the advantages MIGS offers over traditional therapies is also contributing towards growth. For example, MIGS has been proved to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in individuals with low-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma, a common subset of glaucoma.”
 
The Australian market for MIGS devices is currently dominated by Glaukos Corp, Ivantis, and AbbVie. Glaukos Corp.’s iStent Infinite awaits pre-market approval for use as standalone procedure for patients with open-angle glaucoma.
 
“Such innovative developments will only increase competition between existing players and help drive the MIGS devices market to grow at an even faster rate in the future,” Kaushik noted.

* journals.lww.com/optvissci/fulltext/2018/02000/the_role_of_minimally_invasive_glaucoma_surgery.12.aspx
** sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161642014004333
*** glaucoma-itrack.com/uploads/Nova-Eye-Media-Release-MSAC-application-18February2021.pdf