MEDICAL PROBIOTICS MARKET SIZE AND SHARE ANALYSIS - GROWTH TRENDS AND FORECASTS (2023 - 2030)

Market Challenges And Opportunities

Medical Probiotics Market Drivers:

• Increasing product launches for women’s health: There is a growing health consciousness among consumers worldwide, who are becoming more aware of how nutrition affects overall health and wellbeing. For instance, on September 29, 2023, Culturelle, a food ingredient company, commemorating National Women’s Health Day, September 27, 2023, launched its Close the Gap campaign, a multi-year initiative that will advocate for women’s healthcare through improved health literacy, advocacy for policy changes, and building advocacy within the medical community.
• Rising incidences of gastrointestinal and lifestyle diseases: Lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome are rising globally. Probiotics plays an essential role in managing these diseases and improving gut health. In 2022, according to IBD statistics 2022, research conducted by Crohn’s & Colitis U.K., suggests 1 in every 123 people in the U.K. have either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. This amounts to a total of nearly half a million people in the U.K. living with IBD. Therefore, although IBD is not so common, it still impacts a significant amount of people in the U.K.
• Technological advancements in probiotic delivery systems: Advances in probiotic encapsulation and micro-encapsulation technology are enhancing the stability and efficacy of probiotic supplements. Companies are developing delayed-release capsules to protect the strains from gastric acid and deliver them safely to the gut. For instance, in November 2022, researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW)–Madison announced that they had combined gut-friendly, encapsulated probiotic bacteria with nanoparticle technology to help improve the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Favorable regulatory framework and government recommendations: The regulatory environment is conducive to probiotics market growth with authorities like The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) providing guidelines regarding approval for health claims. Government initiatives are also promoting probiotic usage – for example, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) recommends probiotic curd consumption daily. Such regulations and recommendations increase consumer trust in probiotic products. Government funding for research and development (R&D) related to the microbiome’s role in health also enables new innovations.

Medical Probiotics Market Opportunities:

• Innovative probiotic product development: There are abundant opportunities for food, beverage and supplement manufacturers to innovate probiotics and create new functional and therapeutic products. For instance, on January 24, 2023, Evonik, a healthcare company launched a new category of nutraceuticals called IN VIVO BIOTICS. These next-generation synbiotics combine probiotics – healthy gut bacteria – with other health ingredients.

• Facility expansion: Developing economies in Asia, Latin America and Middle East represent strong growth opportunities. Growing disposable incomes, health awareness, and adoption of western lifestyles are driving demand for probiotic products. Local manufacturers can expand their probiotic portfolios which are catered to regional preferences. For instance, on July 2, 2023, ADM, a nutrition company, announced that they had opened a new production facility in Valencia, Spain to help meet growing demand for probiotics, postbiotics, and other products that support health and wellbeing.
• Development of personalized probiotics: Advances in genomic testing allows identification of an individual’s unique microbiome fingerprint. This creates scope for bespoke probiotics that are tailored to correct dysbiosis and restore gut homeostasis which are based on the consumer’s gut microbiome profile. PrecisionX by Biomic Sciences, a biotech company, is an example of microbiome-targeted probiotics. Such personalized nutraceuticals represent the new frontier in probiotics. For instance, on July 26, 2023, Viome, a healthcare company, announced the oral health intelligence test with personalized oral probiotics and supplements. Viome’s VRx My·Biotics Oral Lozenges include a personalized formulation featuring pre, pro, and post-biotics along with amino acids and minerals that promote a healthy oral environment

Medical Probiotics Market Restraints:

• High R&D costs and stringent regulations: Developing novel probiotic strains involves intensive R&D efforts thus spanning isolating strains, characterizing mechanisms of action, conducting clinical studies to prove efficacy and safety, and obtaining regulatory approvals. These result in high costs, thereby hindering the entry of small players. Approval delays also restrain the introduction of cutting-edge probiotics. Strict regulatory guidelines especially in developed markets like Europe, U.S., and Canada add complexity.
• Increasing product recall: Despite growing popularity of the probiotics, some consumers remain apprehensive about the efficacy of probiotic supplements and functional foods. Factors like lack of understanding about mechanisms of action, concerns about survival of strains till gut, and skepticism stemming from exaggerated marketing claims limit adoption among such consumer cohorts. This warrants the need of consumer education by manufacturers. Increasing medical probiotics product recall by regulatory authorities. For instance, on October 26, 2023, Abbott, a healthcare company, announced that the U.S. Food and drug Administration recalled Similac Probiotic Tri-Blend, which contains B. infantis (Bb-02), S. thermophilus (TH-4) and B. lactis (BB-12). The product was recalled because that products contained live microorganisms that may present serious risks to preterm infants in hospital settings.
• Competition from prebiotics, post biotics and other supplements: Prebiotics, postbiotics and other supplements like vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 also promote gut and immune health. Consumers may perceive these as cheaper and safer alternatives to probiotics. Manufacturers need a differentiated value proposition which focuses on “live microbes” for probiotics.
• Counterbalance: The high cost of R&D costs of the probiotics needs to be controlled in developing new probiotic strain by the key market players. Also, the probiotics should be manufactured very carefully thereby minimizing its product recall.