ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS MARKET ANALYSIS

The side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs can hamper the global anti-inflammatory drugs market growth. While anti-inflammatory drugs are effective in providing relief from conditions like arthritis, back pain and general aches and pains, these can also often cause undesirable and dangerous side effects. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen are among the most commonly used anti-inflammatory medicines. However, their prolonged use over months and years have been associated with severe issues like gastrointestinal problems and kidney damage. Long term NSAID users have reported ulcers, holes in the stomach or intestine and in rare cases even stomach or intestinal bleeding. This can especially be a problem for elderly patients managing arthritis. In 2022, according to the study published by American Journal of Gastroenterology, over 30,000 Americans are hospitalized each year due to NSAID-induced gastrointestinal toxicity, resulting in thousands of deaths. Corticosteroids are another class of powerful anti-inflammatory medicines prescribed for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. While effective in reducing joint swelling and pain from autoimmune diseases, long term or frequent use can have serious implications

Market Opportunities: Increasing demand for biologics

Global anti-inflammatory drugs market has witnessed huge demand and interest for biologics in the recent years. Biologics, also known as biological drugs, are made from living cells and have revolutionized treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases. Compared to traditional small molecule anti-inflammatory drugs, biologics provide highly targeted therapies with greater effectiveness and less systemic side effects. Leading health organizations report that immune-mediated inflammatory diseases like arthritis, bowel diseases and psoriasis are rising globally. According to the World Health Organization, over 300 million people worldwide suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Due to growing aging population and changes in lifestyle, there has been rising prevalence of autoimmune diseases. This rising disease burden coupled with limitations of conventional drugs has accelerated research and development of new biologic treatments.

Biologics have already achieved major breakthroughs in treating inflammatory conditions that were previously difficult to manage such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and psoriatic arthritis. Advanced biologics are more tailored towards specific disease pathways with innovative drug delivery mechanisms and biosimilars are also expanding access at reduced costs compared to originators. As biologics continue demonstrating significant clinical efficacy over long term use, more pharmaceutical developers are investing heavily in this area of drug development.