BONE DEGENERATION THERAPEUTICS MARKET ANALYSIS

Bone Degeneration Therapeutics Market Overview

Bone degeneration is characterized by deterioration of articular cartilage covering the joints. Cartilage aids free movement of the joint without any resistance. Reduction in flexibility of the joint due to deterioration of cartilage leads to inflammation, compressed nerves, and pain. Aging is one of the natural causes of bone degeneration, which is also fueled by several conditions such as injuries, congenital disorders, diabetes, and obesity. Symptoms of degenerative bone disorders includes joint stiffness, radiating pain that initiates in the back and spreads through the extremities and causes joint inflammation.

Osteoporosis – characterized by existence of porous bones may lead to fractures

There are two levels of bone loss that can result in an increased risk of fractures. Osteoporosis and osteopenia constitute two levels of bone loss. Osteopenia is considered as loss of bone material density, which indicates thinning of bones. Osteoporosis is a bone degeneration condition characterized by the existence of porous bones and it develops with time as bones slowly lose minerals, structure, and density, resulting in weaker bones. Eventually, osteoporosis leads to bent posture, cracked bones, and loss of height. 

Excessive bone degeneration results in fragile bones that are highly susceptible to fracture. There are several tests such as bone densitometers and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scans performed to determine the density of bones. Stimulation of soft tissues and cartilage repair with prolotherapy represents some of the ways of alleviating pain resulting from degenerative bone disorders.

Increasing diabetes incidence and rising obesity driving growth of the bone degeneration therapeutics market

Factors such as increased physical inactivity, rising obesity, and increasing rate of diabetes are fueling growth of the bone degeneration therapeutics market. According to World Health Organization (WHO) around 422 million people worldwide suffered from diabetes in 2014. Increasing number of diabetic patients is fueling growth of the bone degeneration therapeutics market. 

Various products in research pipeline to augment the bone degeneration therapeutics market growth

Bone degeneration therapeutics market can be segmented by treatment and application. By treatment, the bone degeneration therapeutics market can be segmented into device, drug, and surgery. Braces or sleeves are used to relieve pain caused due to bone degeneration. These provide pain relief to orthopedic patients. By drug, the bone degeneration therapeutics market is segmented into cortisone or steroids, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma. Platelet-rich plasma is effective in alleviating pain resulting from arthritis of the knee. Some products such as PREOB and ALLOB (both from Bone Therapeutics SA) are in research pipeline. PREOB received orphan drug designation for osteonecrosis in March 2008 from the U.S. FDA. On the basis of surgery, the bone degeneration therapeutics market is classified as arthroscopy, high tibial osteotomy, and knee replacement. By application, the bone degeneration therapeutics market can be segmented as osteoporosis, osteopenia, and spinal fusion.

Denosumab injection (Prolia) is used to treat osteoporosis in men, post-menopausal women, people with increased risk for fractures, and those who cannot take or do not respond to other medications for osteoporosis. It is also used to treat bone loss in men suffering from prostate cancer and women with breast cancer.

Increasing sports injuries and growing aging population drives growth of the bone degeneration therapeutics market in North America

The market for bone degeneration has significant potential in North America due to high incidence of sport injuries, availability of advanced technology, large aging population, robust medical infrastructure, and favorable government reimbursement policy. According to 2016 estimates of Osteoporosis Canada, over 80% of all  fractures reported in people over 50 years of age are caused by osteoporosis and at least one in three women and one in five men suffer from an osteoporotic fracture during their lifetime. Asia Pacific is projected to be a high growth market for bone degeneration in the near future due to increasing consumer health awareness and development of good diagnostic and treatment facilities in the region.

Bone degeneration therapeutics market: Key players

Amgen, Inc., Fate Therapeutics, Inc., Bone Therapeutics SA, Juventus Therapeutics, Inc., Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Regenexx, and Se-cure Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. are some of the companies involved in development of bone degeneration therapeutic products. Regenexx stem cell and platelet-rich plasma procedures are advanced regenerative injection treatment used to treat knee pain due to arthritis, ligament injuries, and other degenerative conditions.

Bone degeneration therapeutics market: Key Developments

Key players in the market are focused on conducting human surgical procedures with novel therapies to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in August 2019, Anika Therapeutics, Inc., an integrated orthopedic and regenerative medicines company, announced the successful completion of first human surgical procedure with injectable HA-based bone repair therapy for the treatment of bone voids and other bone defects of the skeletal system caused by trauma or age-related degeneration.

Major institutes are focused on research and development activities related to bone degeneration. For instance, in July 2019, a team of researchers from the University of California reported in a research published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research that Vitamin D supplementation reduces cartilage degeneration and progression of knee osteoarthritis. Such researches are expected to promote longitudinal randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation, which may offer lucrative growth opportunities for the market players.

Key players in the market are focused on gaining product approvals to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in August 2019, the U.S. FDA cleared the NEXXT MATRIXX Stand Alone Cervical System of Nexxt Spine LLC for commercial sale via the 510(k) process. The system is intended for use as an adjunct to fusion at one or two contiguous levels (C2-T1) in skeletally mature patients for the treatment of degenerative disc disease.