Asia Pacific (APAC) Anti-Rheumatic Drug Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027

Asia Pacific (APAC) antirheumatic drugs market was evaluated at US$48.438 billion in the year 2020, growing at a CAGR of 3.37% reaching the market size of US$61.086 billion by the year 2027.

The rapidly growing number of patients suffering from various lifestyle-related diseases is one of the major factors behind the growth of the antirheumatic drug market in the region. There has been a continuous rise in the prevalence of diabetes in countries like China, India, and South Korea. In India, for example, according to the World Bank Group, the prevalence of diabetes among individuals aged between 20 and 79 was 10.39% in 2017. With this increase in the diabetic as well as the obese population, the number of people with joint pain is growing tremendously, thus positively impacting the market growth of antirheumatic drugs in this region. Rising out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare across this region is leading to a surge in the purchase of generic drugs in the country, which is also propelling the overall market for antirheumatic drugs in the Asia Pacific (APAC). The market growth is also being driven by the continuously increasing elderly population in this country.

High investments in R&D across the pharmaceutical industry in this region is also a driving factor for the market growth of antirheumatic drugs in APAC countries. Companies are continuously launching new drugs for various arthritis diseases in this region. For example, in October 2019, Gilead Sciences, Inc. submitted the New Drug Application (NDA) for filgotinib to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW). This oral, selective JAK1 inhibitor is used to treat adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Olumiant (baricitinib), a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not responded adequately to or are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic medications, was introduced by Eli Lily and Company (India) Pvt Ltd. (DMARDs) in October 2018.

Asia Pacific's (APAC) antirheumatic drugs market has been segmented based on the type of disease, type of molecule, and sales channel. By type of disease, the market has been segmented as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, and others. By type of molecule, the Asia Pacific (APAC) antirheumatic drugs market has been classified into pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. The market segmentation has also been done by sales channel as prescription and over-the-counter (OTC). By country, the APAC antirheumatic drugs market has been segmented as China, Japan, India, South Korea, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar.

The rheumatoid arthritis sector is predicted to hold a significant market share depending on the type of disease. The industry for rheumatoid arthritis treatment is fueled by the rising prevalence of arthritis and associated joint issues. In addition, the development of rheumatoid arthritis is attributed to a change toward an unhealthy lifestyle, an increase in metabolic diseases and age, a family history of joint disorders, and an increase in obesity. Furthermore, improvements in biosimilar and innovative biologics are anticipated to open up new business prospects in the sector.

Due to the rise in the number of specialist hospitals needed to treat the medical condition, the prescription-based drug segment held the biggest share of the market by sales channel. Additionally, due to increased awareness of the rheumatoid arthritis treatment choices, the over-the-counter medicine sector is anticipated to grow at the quickest rate during the projection period. Another important element driving the expansion of the anti-rheumatics business is the simple accessibility of over-the-counter NSAIDs.

Recent Developments and expansions

Bayer AG announced in 2020 that it would deploy about US$59 million to build a new development and manufacturing facility at Beijing Economic-Technological Development.

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has received the New Drug Application for filgotinib, an experimental, oral, specific JAK1 inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to an announcement made by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in October 2019.

COVID-19 Impact

The market for anti-rheumatoid medications in Asia-Pacific has not been significantly impacted because drug production is regarded as one of the important services. Tocilizumab and hydroxychloroquine, medications for rheumatoid arthritis, have also been investigated for use in the treatment of the emerging coronavirus. However, the disruption in supply chain activities and a temporary halt in manufacturing activities slowed down the market growth. Governments in APAC countries are using antirheumatic drugs to treat certain symptoms of this virus. For example, in March 2020, China's National Health Commission approved Roche's Actemra to treat serious coronavirus patients with lung damage. In India, Bengal's government has also recommended using Tocilizumab, a drug used to treat patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, to treat severe COVID-19 cases.

Segmentation

By Type of Disease

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Gout
• Lupus

By Type of Molecule

• Pharmaceuticals
• Biopharmaceuticals

By Sales Channel

• Prescription
• Over-The-Counter (OTC)

By Country

• China
• Japan
• India
• South Korea
• Indonesia
• Taiwan
• Thailand