Infertility: Overview
GLOBAL PATIENT NEED FOR NEW MEDICAL OPTIONS FOR INFERTILTY
Infertility is a disease of the male or female reproductive system that is estimated to affect 48 million couples and 186 million individuals globally, according to the World Health Organization.
1 in 6 individuals worldwide experience infertility, around 17.5% of the adult population (1). In couples, the origin of infertility is 50% male factor related and 50% female factor related (alone or contributing causa) (2).
Igyxos’ mission is focused on addressing the unmet need for novel medical interventions and better efficacy in the treatment of infertility.
TREATMENT LIMITATIONS CONTRIBUTE TO DISEASE BURDEN
Current treatment options for infertility include hormone therapies, fertility drugs including Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), surgery, and assisted reproduction technologies. Owing to the complexity of the disease, infertility treatments often involve significant financial, physical, and psychological time commitments, which exacerbate the burden of infertility for patients. This includes adherence to onerous treatment protocols for which there is historically significant discontinuation (50%) among patients (3).
Moreover, the unsatisfactory rate of in vitro fertilization (40-50% of births in couples treated on average four-to-five times) is compounded by the high cost of treatment.
Except for men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, there is no approved treatment for male infertility, which often places the entire burden of the couple's infertility on the women.
These are among the constraining factors that are contributing to the significant need for new medical options that combine increased effectiveness with a simplified and cost-effective treatment regimen for infertility.
References:
(1) WHO. Infertility Prevalence Estimates, 1990–2021. 3 April 2023.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/978920068315
(2) Pandruvada et al. Lack of trusted diagnostic tools for undetermined male infertility. J Assist Reprod Genet 2021; 38:265–276.
(3) Ben Messaoud et al. The burden of very early dropout in infertility care: a nationwide population-based cohort study. Hum Reprod. 2024 Jan 5;39(1):102-107.