According to the World Health Organization, 347 million people worldwide have diabetes. This number is expected to soar even higher in the next few years, as a consequence of increasingly sedentary lifestyles, poor eating habits and an ever-expanding elderly population. With diabetes comes many adverse side effects, one of the most common of which is diabetic retinopathy-an eye disorder that damages the blood vessels of the retina. Considering the prevalence of this disorder, it stands to reason the Global Diabetic Retinopathy Drugs market is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the pharmaceutical industry.
In fact, although the the Global Diabetic Retinopathy Drugs market is a niche market and in its nascent stage it is already valued at over US $310.05 million for the year 2012. That number is expected to more-than-triple in value during the next four years at a lofty CAGR of 35.22 percent. One of the only obstacles standing in the way of these statistics, is the presence of alternative surgical treatments.
That said, this issue is likely to be offset by the major market trend of combination therapies for treating diabetic retinopathy. Specifically, the following three combinations:
- vitrectomy and laser treatment
- Lucentis and macular laser photocoagulation
- Avastin and macular laser photocoagulation
The medical advantage of combining diabetic retinopathy drugs with other treatments is simple: combination therapy dramatically improves the speed and efficiency with which retinal disorders can be treated.
From a vendor standpoint, the primary benefit of the combination therapy trend is that it removes the challenge of competing with surgical treatments for market share. Laser surgery and victrectomy pose the biggest threats to the market, and the best way to get around this challenge, is by promoting retinopathy drugs as an add-on to these treatments.
At the end of the day, the drugs vs. surgery fight for market share in the diabetic retinopathy industry can be best summarized by the age old saying: ”if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”.
For more information, view our 2012-2016 report on The Global Diabetic Retinopathy Drugs market.
