Alzheimer’s Drugs Market Overview and Introduction

Global Alzheimer’s Drugs Market is estimated to be over US$ 3.5 Billion in 2018. It is anticipated to grow at a 7.2% CAGR from 2019 to 2030.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder, in which the brain gradually degenerates resulting in loss of memory, brain dysfunction, and cellular loss. It most often occurs in people aged above 65–70 years. A person afflicted with Alzheimer’s also has to encounter issues with reasoning or judgment, steady decline in the ability to perform routine tasks, difficulty in learning, disorientation and loss of language skills. All these changes have a deep impact on not only the patient who is afflicted by the disease but also the care givers of the patient. This ultimately results in loss of independence of the patients and eventually complete dependence on the care givers. There are no definite symptoms for this disease and the biological changes in the brain at times can occur even decades before the first symptoms appear, making early diagnosis very difficult. By the time the patient reaches the late stages of the disease, they people are often unable to even communicate and become entirely dependent on their care givers even for simple day-to-day tasks. The current lot of Alzheimer’s medications cannot cure or stop the disease from progressing. However they delay the progression or they might aid in lessening the intensity of the symptoms.

The population of geriatrics across the world has grown rapidly over the past several decades. Moreover, this growth has witnessed an unprecedented rate in recent times. In 2016, it was approximated that the population of individuals aged 65 years or older was 8.5% or 617 million of the entire world population. This rise in the geriatric population is expected to fuel the growth of the Alzheimer’s disease market in the forecast period. Furthermore, it is projected that the figure will witness an increment to 17% i.e. 1.6 billion by the end of 2050. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) by 2050, 80% of older people will be living in low- and middle-income countries. Treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease are needed owing to increasing number of individuals are being afflicted by different forms of the Alzheimer’s disease. Hence they are many players who have treatment drugs that are in different stages of clinical trials. The key players are focusing on new therapies that will aid to prevent, defer, slow the decline, or improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. These factors are expected to propel the market in the coming years. There has been a high number of failures in clinical trials of the Alzheimer’s drugs, owing to factors such as adverse effects in the trial phase, unexpected toxicological findings etc. This results in the company dropping the trials and is expected to restrain the growth of the market.

Alzheimer’s Drugs Market by Drugs Class 

The global Alzheimer’s drugs market is segmented based on drug class, by distribution channel and region. On basis of drug class, the Alzheimer’s drugs market is segmented into cholinesterase inhibitors and nmda receptor antagonists. The cholinesterase inhibitors are further segmented into donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine. The nmda receptor antagonists is further segmented in memantine. The cholinesterase inhibitors are expected to hold the largest share in this segment, owing to the ability of these drugs to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and to inhibit he breakdown of acetylcholine, which is an important neurotransmitter associated with memory. They do this by blocking the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase.

Alzheimer’s Drugs Market by Distribution Channel

On the basis of distribution channel, the market is segmented into direct distribution channel and indirect distribution channel.

Alzheimer’s Drugs Market by Regions

On the basis of region, the global Alzheimer’s drugs market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World (ROW). North America holds the major share of the Alzheimer’s drugs market and dominated the market. Factors such as having the presence of a large pool of key players in the region, with a strong focus on R&D capabilities and a strong product pipeline have helped the region to hold a dominant position in this market. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, as of 2017. This region is considered to be the global leader in Alzheimer’s disease intervention and management. Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR, with the growth in this market centered at China, India, and Japan. Factors such as the government support, continual growth of the biopharmaceutical and advancing diagnostic capabilities, in this region are responsible for the growth of the Alzheimer’s drug market in this region.  

Alzheimer’s Drugs Market Prominent Players

The prominent players in the global Alzheimer’s drugs market are AC Immune, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED. Eli Lilly and Company, H. Lundbeck A/S, Eisai Co., Ltd., Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novartis AG, Janssen Global Services, LLC, AbbVie Inc. among others.