Systemic Scleroderma Treatment Market is Estimated to Witness High Growth Owing to Increasing Government Support and Growing Disease Prevalence
The systemic scleroderma treatment market is estimated to be valued at USD 1.71 Bn in 2024, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.9% over the forecast period (2024-2031). Furthermore, increasing healthcare expenditure and rising adoption of innovative therapies are also fueling the market growth.
Market Dynamics:
The growth of the systemic scleroderma treatment market is driven by increasing government support for research and development activities and growing disease prevalence. Government organizations are extensively funding research for developing novel treatment options. The prevalence of systemic scleroderma is increasing rapidly. According to the statistics by Scleroderma Foundation, around 300,000 people worldwide are living with the condition. New drug development by pharmaceutical players is also expected to boost market growth during the forecast period. However, lack of disease awareness in developing nations may hamper the market expansion to some extent.
Growing Incidence Rate of Systemic Scleroderma driving the Demand for Effective Treatment Options
The incidence rate of systemic scleroderma has been steadily rising over the past few decades. According to National Institutes of Health, in 2020, the annual incidence of systemic scleroderma in the U.S. is estimated to be around 20 cases per million population. The rising prevalence of this rare and chronic autoimmune disease has significantly increased the demand for effective treatment and management options. Pharmaceutical companies are investing heavily in R&D to develop novel drugs that can target the underlying pathogenesis and slow the progression of the disease. Several drugs in late-stage clinical trials are showing promising results in controlling skin fibrosis and improving organ involvement. This growing need for improved therapeutic interventions from patients and physicians is a major factor propelling the growth of the systemic scleroderma treatment market.
Increasing Awareness is Raising the Diagnosis Rates of Early-stage Disease
Awareness initiatives by patient advocacy groups and non-profit organizations have played a key role in educating the general public and healthcare providers about the symptoms and risks of Systemic Scleroderma. This has led to enhanced vigilance towards early signs and symptoms of the condition. As a result, more patients are seeking medical attention during the early diffuse or limited stages of the disease now compared to a few years back. Early diagnosis allows for timely intervention with existing treatment approaches, improving clinical outcomes. It also presents opportunities to include eligible patients in ongoing clinical trials. The augmented diagnosis rates of systemic scleroderma in preliminary phases are another important driver for the growth of this market.
High Costs of Specialized Drugs Acting as a Constraint
Systemic scleroderma is a complex multi-organ fibrotic condition that often requires administration of expensive immunomodulatory or anticancer drugs on a long-term basis. Most of the approved pharmacologic therapies target specific disease complications but lack selectivity, carrying the risk of adverse effects. Moreover, many novel pipeline candidates are biologic agents or cell therapies that involve high development costs. Pharmaceutical companies price such specialized drugs at a significant premium to recover R&D investments, making treatment unaffordable for a large proportion of patients. The high costs imposed on patients as well as third-party payers discourage broader usage and uptake of new therapeutic regimens, posing a major restraint on the systemic scleroderma treatment market expansion.
Poor Diagnostic Accuracy Hindering Optimal Care
Due to the heterogeneous and non-specific nature of the symptoms, arriving at an accurate diagnosis of systemic scleroderma can be challenging, especially during the early phases. Currently available clinical assessment methods and serological markers lack adequate sensitivity and specificity. As a result, patients often face misdiagnosis, delays in confirmation, and suboptimal management plans. Standardized validated protocols for diagnostic evaluation and patient stratification into clinical subsets are still evolving. The lack of robust point-of-care diagnostic tests further exacerbates the problem. Poor diagnostic accuracy leads to uncertainty regarding treatment pathways, negatively impacting clinical outcomes. It creates a barrier to appropriate utilization of novel agents as well, limiting market prospects.
Collaborations Opening New Avenues for Personalized Therapy
Given the complexity and heterogeneity observed in systemic scleroderma pathophysiology, a standardized one-size-fits-all therapeutic approach often does not address the distinct phenotypic profiles and disease stages seen across the patient population. Researchers are making significant advances in elucidating the molecular drivers and biomarkers associated with specific clinical manifestations using multi-omics approaches. This is enabling the development of personalized treatment regimens tailored to the patient’s underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Several pharmaceutical companies are entering strategic collaborations with leading academic research institutes focused on Systemic Scleroderma. Such partnerships aim to translate ongoing biomarker discoveries into the design of more selective pipeline assets and new companion diagnostics for optimizing individualized care. The shifting focus towards precision medicine is a notable opportunity propelling specialized drug development in this market.
Reimbursement Expansions Incentivizing Innovation
In the U.S., obtaining insurance approval and reimbursement for novel high-cost systemic scleroderma therapies has historically been challenging. However, organizations like the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation are implementing alternative payment models and expanded coverage policies designed to promote access to promising investigational treatments. Similarly, authorities in key European markets are revising guidelines to speed up market access and reimbursement for orphan drugs addressing unmet needs. The facilitative reimbursement environment incentivizes pharmaceutical companies to actively pursue regulatory approval and commercialization of advanced pipeline candidates. It encourages continued investments into innovative R&D programs as well.
Link - https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/systemic-scleroderma-treatment-market-4641
Key Developments
- On March 20, 2024, Cabaletta Bio, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to CABA-201, a 4-1BB-containing fully human CD19-CAR T cell investigational therapy, for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc). CABA-201 is in development as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases driven by B cells.
- On February 19, 2024, Certa Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted fast track drug designation for its investigational therapy FT011 for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), having previously granted orphan drug designation
- In August 2023, Scleroderma Research Foundation announced the launch of CONQUEST clinical trial platform to address critical issues in clinical development and enable advancements in systemic sclerosis research
Key Players
GSK plc, Certa Therapeutics, Aisa Pharma, Inc., Corbus Pharmaceuticals, AbbVie, Inc., Biogen, Novartis AG, AstraZeneca, Celgen Corporation, ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH., and MediciNova, Inc.
