Thailand Anti-Rheumatic Drug Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027

Thailand anti-rheumatic drug market was valued at US$996.613 million in 2020. A leading factor for Bangladesh’s anti-rheumatic drug market is the increase in chronic diseases among its older population. Many chronic diseases are caused by obesity which leads to another major health problem - arthritis. In Thailand, according to International Diabetes Federation, around 9.7% of the population between the age of 20 to 79 has diabetes. Along with that, the organization believes that 39.7% of people have diabetes but it is not diagnosed yet. Moreover, the WHO data published the latest data on rheumatoid arthritis deaths in 2020. According to it, rheumatoid arthritis deaths in Thailand reached 194 or 0.04% of total deaths. Bangladesh has a world ranking of 18 in age-adjusted deaths.

Growing cases of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory arthritis with a prevalence of 0.25% worldwide and 0.12% in Thailand. It was found in a study published by researchers from Keele University and Quadram Institute that antibiotic usage is found to be associated with an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The odds of developing it is 65% when exposed to antibiotics. Furthermore, the problem is serious in Thailand as antibiotics are heavily misused in the country, as they are easily available at pharma stores and it is not classified as a controlled drug. People often prescribe it to themselves without any medical guidance, which increases the chances of taking the wrong medication.

Another reason for the growing number of rheumatoid arthritis cases in Thailand is severe health-related issues such as back pain among the elderly. The population above the age of 65 has also increased to 14% in 2021 from 9% in 2010. According to the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Science and Technology, Hatyai University and Faculty of Public Health, Thammasat University, it is expected that Thailand will have 1/3rd of its population as elderly and therefore it will become an aging society. Back pain is the most common symptom of musculoskeletal chronic pain and is very common in the elderly. In the same study, it was found that 41.5% of the survey were obese, which again is a leading factor for chronic diseases.

COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted patients with rheumatic diseases, as it puts them at a higher risk of catching the COVID-19 virus in comparison to the general population. The pandemic also increased the probability of a health emergency in complicated conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis. With the outbreak, it was difficult to provide disease-related medicines, even the production units were shut due to which deliveries were furthermore delayed. However, in the second half of 2020, the market grew with the launch of new products with better investments due to the rising prevalence of arthritis. Several acquisitions and mergers took place for the development of several therapeutics and medications.

Market Segmentation:

By Type of Disease

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Gout
• Lupus
• Others

By Type of Molecule

• Pharmaceuticals
• Biopharmaceuticals

By Sales Channel

• Prescription
• Over-The-Counter (OTC)