Market Challenges And Opportunities

Restraints & Challenges:

Product Recalls
Potential side-effects of steroid inhalers

Global Asthma And COPD Market– Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Since the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019, the disease spread to over 100 countries across the globe, and the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency on January 30, 2020.

COVID-19 affected the economy in three main ways: by directly affecting the production and demand of drugs, by creating disruptions in distribution channels, and through its financial impact on firms and financial markets. Due to nationwide lockdowns, several countries such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Egypt, and others are facing problems with the transportation of drugs from one place to another.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the global asthma and COPD market. According to an article published in February 2021, in Nature, a weekly scientific Journal founded and based in London, England, among the COVID-19 patients in South Korea, the risk for all-cause mortality was approximately two times higher in patients with COPD than in those without COPD. Among the COVID-19 patients who were 40 years and older, 3.1% had COPD; of these, 7.1% received ICU care, and 5.7% received mechanical ventilation.

Product Recalls

The production and manufacturing faults leading to the recall of products can restrain the growth of the global asthma and COPD market. For instance, in October 2022, Cipla, a multinational pharmaceutical company, recalled 9,041 cartons of Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution, which is used to help control the symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

This restrain can be overcome by adopting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and observing strict compliance with regulatory guidelines.

Potential side-effects of steroid inhalers

Taking a high dose of steroid inhalers for a long time, can cause side effects such as an increased appetite, mood changes, and difficulty in sleeping. Some patients over the years have reported a sore mouth, a hoarse voice, and coughs. Taking high doses of corticosteroids for a long time can slow down the normal growth of children and teenagers.

This restrain can be overcome by the using the steroid inhalers correctly at low doses.