Market Trends of Global Opioids Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Opioids Market according to our research experts:
Strong Agonists are Expected to Hold Significant Market Share in the Receptor Binding Segment
An agonist is a drug molecule that triggers certain receptors in the brain. This agonist produces a significant physiological/pharmacological response when only a relatively small number of receptors are occupied, i.e., the drug has high intrinsic activity. Strong agonist opioids include fentanyl, morphine, dihydromorphinone, meperidine, oxycodone, and oxymorphone.
Globally, COVID-19 created a health crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, globally, health agencies were engaged in the prevention of infection and providing services to COVID-19 patients, leading to the cancellation of elective surgeries and elective consultations, which showed an effect on pain services by hospitals and pain clinics.
Methadone is a strong agonist that effectively treats addiction to opioid drugs (such as heroin). Strong agonists bind tightly to opioid receptors, which undergo significant conformational changes.
Globally, many people experience pain in their daily lives. For instance, as per the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2020 report estimates, chronic pain affects 1 in 5 Australians aged 45 and over.
The market players adopt various strategies such as product approvals and developments to expand their product portfolio, expansions, collaborations, and mergers to increase market share. For instance, In March 2020, Trevena Inc. received the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for OLINVYK (oliceridine), an opioid agonist indicated in adults to manage acute pain. Thus, the above-mentioned factors are expected to drive the segment growth in the near future.
North America Dominates the Market and is Expected to Continue to Dominate in the Forecast Period
The major factors driving the market growth in North America include the rising incidence of orthopedic diseases, growing prevalence of chronic diseases, such as cancer and diabetes and rise in disposable income and surge in the geriatric population, and the presence of key market players in the region.
In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare systems to redistribute healthcare resources toward COVID-19 dedicated sites and intensive care units. During the COVID-19 pandemic 2020, chronic pain services that were non-urgent and outpatient and elective interventional procedures were reduced or interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the risk of viral spread.
According to a research article by Filomena Puntillo et al., published in Best Practice and Research: Clinical Anesthesiology Journal 2020, chronic pain populations remain isolated with consequent social and psychological impact. The shutdown of pain services due to the lockdown imposed by the United States government during the COVID-19 pandemic affected chronic pain management.
As per the government of Canada, in 2021, around 7.6 million or one in five people (across the lifespan), live with chronic pain. In Canada, chronic pain had significant impacts on mental and physical health, family and community life, and the economy, with the total direct and indirect cost. Hence, owing to these factors, the studied market is expected to show significant growth over the forecast period.
