Opioid Use Disorder Market By 2030: Applications, Geographic Regions, Opportunities, Challenges, Drivers

 

Opioids are naturally or synthetically made in laboratories to mimic the chemical properties of opioids that interact with opioid receptors on the nerve cells in the body and brain and reduce pain. They are a class of drugs that include prescription pain relievers, synthetic opioids, and heroin. Prescription opioids are meant to be used to treat acute pain such as recovering from injury or post-surgery, chronic pain, active-phase cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care. Many people rely on prescription opioids to help manage their conditions under the care of a physician. Opioid use disorder is a chronic lifelong disorder, with serious potential consequences including disability, relapses, and death.

Increasing incidences of pain associated with chronic diseases such as cancer, rising cases of opioid addiction, and increasing adoption of inorganic growth strategies by key players in order to expand their product portfolio in the global opioid use disorder market. The general population nowadays suffers from a wide range of chronic and severe health conditions, such as pain arising from injuries or cancer. They often result in chronic pain and in such cases, patients are given painkillers, especially opioids. While they help in lowering pain, they can cause addiction among patients. The abrupt discontinuation or higher dependency on these drugs leads to withdrawal symptoms. This further increases the chances of fatal consequences, such as deaths.

For instance, The American Psychiatric Association (APA), stated that approximately 72,000 Americans died due to opioid overdose in 2017. These factors are likely to drive the opioid use disorder market growth in the near future.

One of the upcoming trends witnessed in the global market in treating opioid addiction is the increasing usage of buprenorphine patches as an effective therapy for opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine patches are considered to be a novel approach for the treatment of opioid use disorder. The usage of transdermal patches has various advantages over other treatment modes such as injections as it is the most comfortable mode of drug delivery, which effectively reduces the pain and can be self-administered by the patient. Moreover, these buprenorphine patches can act as a potential alternative for patients requiring instant therapy for opioid use disorder.

For instance, in April 2020, WellSpan Health, a U.S.-based healthcare company, collaborated with York Opioid Collaborative, a public health and safety organizations, to establish a clinical trial and reached phase IV in the development of Lidocaine patch for the indication of opioid use disorder. This is expected to boost the adoption of treatment on a broader scale.