Since more than 365 million people are diagnosed with diabetes in the world at present and an estimation of more than 4.5 million deaths from the disease in 2011, spending on research and demand for antidiabetic therapies is expected to continue its steep climb. Without a radical change in lifestyle habits, it is estimated that one in three people in the US will have diabetes by the end of 2050, representing an ever-increasing market. According to IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, oncology is expected to continue to hold the top spot in the therapies industry, with forecast revenue to rise between $75 billion and $80 billion by the end of 2015, which will show a jump of more than $20 billion in a five-year period. Lipid regulators is expected to fall from second to fourth place, which will reach between $29 billion and $34 billion in the same period. Meanwhile, anti-diabetics will rise to second place at between $43 billion and $48 billion. Spending on therapeutic medicine in the US alone is expected to show a slower growth rate, bringing its stake in global spending down by 10% to reach just over 30% at the end of 2015. In 2010, the therapeutics class with the largest market share in the US was oncologics, that is the radiation therapy, at almost $60 billion, followed by lipid regulators and respiratory agents at almost $36.5 billion and close to $36 billion respectively, according to IMS Health. Anti-diabetics represented the fourth-largest market share, with revenue just under $35 billion.

 

Therapy segments expected to drop out of the top-20 list include vitamins and minerals, anti-rheumatics, cephalosporins, combs (antibiotics) and vaccines. Categories expected to appear in the top 20 include treatments for glaucoma, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Spending in the five leading EU countries will equally slow 7% to 13% in the same period. Respiratory agents are expected to remain the third-biggest seller, with a $5 billion to $10 billion increase on 2010 sales. With cases of cancer and diabetes rising at unprecedented rates, oncology and anti-diabetes therapies continue to lead the therapeutic market. The market for radiation therapy devices is expected to reach $3.5 billion by 2017, according to Global Data, at CAGR of 10%. A sub segment of the market, electron beam radiation therapy systems, is forecast to grow at 9% annually. Drugs to treat hypertension are forecast to rise to fifth place with an up to $6.5 billion increase in revenue. Overall, auto-immune drugs should see a substantial jump to reach between $27 billion and $32 billion by the end of 2015. The availability and acceptance of alternative health therapies are increasing, with revenue forecast to total $3.8 billion in 2013-14 after growing by an annualized 4.1% over the past five years. Therapies included in the industry are either alternatives to conventional Western medicine or complementary to conventional treatments. While the increasing acceptance of alternative therapies has had a strong influence on revenue, industry revenue has also grown due to the aging population and surging private health insurance membership.