Pain Management in the Euro Region Reflecting Evolving Treatment Strategies

Greystone Associates Analyzes the Demographic, Economic, and Morbidity Factors Driving Demand for Pain Products

[USPRwire, Mon Aug 16 2010] Individuals suffering from ailments that include cancer, back problems and orthopedic injury are subject to moderate-to-severe levels of pain. These people also may experience intermittent flares of pain that can occur even while taking analgesic medications on a fixed schedule for pain control. It’s estimated that about one-half to two-thirds of patients with chronic cancer-related pain also experience episodes of breakthrough cancer pain. Generally, breakthrough pain occurs without prior onset symptoms and may last anywhere from seconds to minutes or hours. Because of their favorable economic, compliance and dosing characteristics, transdermal pain products are experiencing increasing interest in addressing the needs of patients in Europe.

Demand for prescription drug patches is being driven by several factors with strong demographic and population trend underpinnings. The aging population – particularly in North America and Western Europe, where the quality of medical care is high and consumers enjoy a relatively high standard of living – will create a growing market of mature and elderly needing drug therapies and pain management for a variety of maladies associated with the aging process.

The transdermal pain product market in Europe is highly competitive. Fentanyl and its branded versions lead the European market, with a dozen marketed transdermal fentanyl products competing for market share. For mild-to-moderate pain, oral pain management drugs in Europe are coming under pressure from several brands of buprenorphine patches and diclofenac patches and gels that are marketed in the region.

In 2009, fentanyl accounted for 63% of the European transdermal pain product market, but pressure from new and existing products will push this share to less than half the total market in 2013. In the wake of fentanyl patch product recalls over the past eighteen months, prescribers will continue to look hard at non-narcotic pain products for all but the most intractable pain conditions.

An important demographic demand driver is the aging population in developed economies, which is expected to lead to significant increases in a number of conditions for which pain management will be crucial to quality-of-life. One example is osteoarthritis, an often painful condition where oral medications compete with topical pain relief formulations. Volteren and Felbinac (Japan) are important competitors in this segment.

Greystone’s analysis of the European transdermal pain product segment includes an assessment of factors influencing demand for transdermal pain management products, the key players in this segment, the regulatory and industry environment, and the dynamics of patient care that will affect market development.

More information is available at www.greystoneassociates.org .

About Greystone

Greystone Associates is a medical technology consulting firm focused on the areas of medical market strategy, product commercialization, venture development, and market research. We assist medical and healthcare market participants in achieving their business objectives through the creation of detailed development strategies, product commercialization programs, and comprehensive market and technology research and analysis. Our market research publications are designed, researched and written to provide timely and insightful information and data on focused market segments, with the aim of providing market participants with the essential knowledge to refine and execute their marketing plans and financial targets.


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Source: Greystone Associates-