Osteoarthritis space set to undergo radical changes, approaching $10.5 billion by 2024

Current R&D strategies in osteoarthritis are characterized by a trend towards developing new analgesics with novel MOAs, and drugs with disease-modifying effects.

The company’s report states that this rapid growth can be attributed to the launch of new biologic therapies priced at a substantial premium to small-molecule therapies, the launch of drugs with novel mechanisms of action (MOAs) and disease-modifying effects, the growth of the osteoarthritis population, and recent improvements in imaging techniques to facilitate the development of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs.

Claire Herman, MPH, GlobalData’s Global Director of Therapy Analysis and Epidemiology, explains: “The current treatments for osteoarthritis are largely inexpensive generic drugs that have been available for decades, and the market suffers from a lack of biologic and disease-modifying drugs, as available therapies offer only symptom relief.

“Despite this, the osteoarthritis pipeline is rapidly evolving thanks to improved understanding of the disease’s pathophysiology and recent biomarker development. Current R&D strategies in osteoarthritis are characterized by a trend towards developing new analgesics with novel MOAs, and drugs with disease-modifying effects, reflecting the market’s demand for such therapies.”

New therapies include Invossa, a cell-based disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug, and sprifermin, a cytokine-based therapy. The rapid evolution of the osteoarthritis pipeline will lead to a shift toward novel analgesics and disease-modifying drugs in the treatment paradigm. In this way, GlobalData anticipates that the osteoarthritis market landscape will change radically over the next 20 years.

Herman adds: “There is a substantial opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs with new MOAs and disease-modifying effects. This opportunity could be exploited by supporting academic institutions in their ongoing efforts to identify new disease targets and biomarkers, and companies may also consider in-licensing pipeline products with novel analgesic mechanisms or disease-modifying potential.”