Anti-Infective Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Global Industry Analysis: By Drug Type (Antibiotics, Antivirals, Antifungal, Others), Disease condition (Respiratory Infection, Pneumonia, HIV, Tuberculosis, Others), Route of Administration (Oral, Topical, Parentals and Others), Distribution channel (Hospital Pharmacy, Online Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy) and Region Forecast 2020-2031

Anti-Infective Market size was valued at US$ 92,800 million in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 101,600 million by 2031, growing at a significant CAGR of 1.4% from 2025-2031. The market is projected to reach around US$ 101,600 million by 2031, expanding at a moderate 1.3% CAGR from 2024 to 2031. Additionally, the U.S. market is expected to grow steadily, reaching an estimated US$ 33,700 million by 2031, up from US$ 31,900 million in 2024. The global market is a huge group of medications that are employed to avoid and treat infection caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. The market has antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitic that all play an important role in the avoidance of infectious diseases globally. Antibiotics remain one of the pillars of modern medicine with application in inpatient care, outpatient care, and public health program. Pressure is driven by rising infection rates, rising volume of surgery, and rising global access to medical care. Anti-infectives are important in treating life-threatening diseases as well as in reducing global morbidity and mortality from uncomplicated infection treatment.

The market is expanding relentlessly due to the rise in drug-resistant microorganisms, rising global healthcare problems, and government steps to enhance antimicrobial stewardship. Technology advancement in drug development and heightened interest in pandemic readiness are reshaping market dynamics. Expenditure on new medicines like long-acting injectables and combination therapies is rising success in treatment and patient adherence. Healthcare infrastructure development spending and higher spending by international organizations like WHO and GAVI in the developing world is expanding access to the market. Artificial intelligence usage in antimicrobial discovery will similarly fuel innovation, unveiling new means in the rapidly changing therapeutics arena.

Facts & Figures:

• In 2019, 7.7 million global deaths were linked to infections caused by 33 bacterial pathogens accounting for 1 in every 8 deaths worldwide.
• There is significant regional variation in bacterial infection burden, with sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the highest mortality rate (230 deaths per 100,000 population), compared to 52 per 100,000 in high-income countries.
• Over 1.7 million Americans are diagnosed annually with hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths. Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are among the most common adverse events in health systems, affecting approximately 1 in 10 patients globally.
• Serious fungal infections affect over 300 million individuals worldwide annually, with an estimated 1.5 million deaths.

Key Developments:

• In Feb 2025, EMBLAVEO™ is the first and only monobactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination to be approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections, including Gram-negative bacteria caused infections.
• In April 2024, the U.S. FDA has approved Zevtera (ceftobiprole medocaril sodium) for treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (SAB), acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI), and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) in adults and pediatric patients (aged ≥3 months).
• In December 2024, Urihk Pharmaceuticals debuted Zidibact 400, an anti-infective for extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections.
• Wockhardt, a Mumbai-based drug firm, is running Phase-3 trials for its novel antibiotic Zaynich, which is developed to treat critical drug-resistant infection. The company is ready with the launch of the drug by 2025.

Anti-Infective Market Segmentation:

Based on the drug type:

• Antibiotic
• Antivirals
• Antifungals
• Others

Antibiotics is the leading segment in the market due to its pivot position in high-burden bacterial disease treatment in both community and hospital environments. The increasing trend towards multidrug-resistant pathogens has given more significance to next-generation antibiotics, particularly for ICU and post-op care. Furthermore, antibiotics lead the pack due to their wide clinical use for all ages and levels of healthcare. Strategic public-private finance mechanisms such as CARB-X and push incentives under the PASTEUR Act are directly targeted at antibacterial innovation, rather than antivirals or antifungals, confirming the segment's commercial and regulatory priority in the international therapeutic industry.

Based on the disease condition:

• HIV
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory infection
• Tuberculosis
• Others

HIV is the dominant pointer in the anti-infective world as a result of its long-established global burden, long-term treatment paradigm, and ongoing innovation in antiretroviral therapy (ART). Unlike acute infection, HIV necessitates drug adherence over a long period, which translates into persistent demand for fixed-dose combinations, long-acting injectables, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Large pharma companies have strong HIV franchises supported by solid investment from international health programs such as PEPFAR and The Global Fund. Also, increased treatment penetration in the industrialized and developing worlds, and WHO-approved early ART initiation guidelines, maintain HIV's leadership market share across all infectious diseases, while increased emphasis on emerging and resistant respiratory infections.

Based on the route of administration:

• Oral
• Topical
• Parenteral
• Others

Oral therapy is the most prevalent market because of its flexibility, patient compliance, and efficacy in both outpatient and long-term care environments. The majority of first-line antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals are administered orally to enable early discharge from hospital and minimize inpatient treatment costs. Oral fixed-combinations of HIV, tuberculosis, and respiratory tract infections predominate treatment regimens worldwide. Moreover, heavy usage of oral prophylactic drugs, especially among immunocompromised and chronically ill patients, raises the importance of this channel commercially. Horizontal scalability in limited markets, cost competitiveness, and availability across retail and hospital channels again support dominance for the oral segment.

Based on the distribution channel:

• Hospital Pharmacy
• Online Pharmacy
• Retail Pharmacy

Hospital pharmacy leads the market due to the intense use of parenteral and broad-spectrum agents used in inpatient and critical care illnesses necessitating intense use of hospital-based settings. Severe infections such as hospital-acquired pneumonia, sepsis, and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis need rapid, controlled dosing—best controlled within hospital settings. Further, high-valued anti-infectives such as new β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations and liposomal antifungals are being distributed by institutional channels mostly. Hospitals are likewise the single location of implantation of antimicrobial stewardship to provide evidence-based prescribing. Coupling with microbiology laboratories for culture-directed therapy and centralized procurement under government health programs all cement hospital pharmacies as the single, high-volume dispensing node in this therapeutic category.