Bioactive Materials Market

Market Overview

The global bioactive materials market size was valued at USD 2.09 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 7.09 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 14.55% during the forecast period (2023–2031). Major factors driving the market are the surging demand for root canal treatment and dental care and increasing applications in the medical industry. The bioactive materials have a greater and stronger bonding capacity with fluids and tissues, which boosts their demand in the medical and healthcare sectors for body tissue healing and repair.

Bioactive materials are substances that interact with biological systems, including cells, tissues, and organs. These synthetic or natural materials are primarily utilized in various medical applications, like drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. They can enhance specific biological responses, like cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation, by imitating the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tissue being targeted.

Bioactive materials can also be utilized for drug delivery, in which the material is designed to gradually release a drug or therapeutic agent. This can be useful for targeted drug delivery, in which the drug is released directly into the affected tissue, thereby reducing adverse effects and enhancing efficacy. As a result, bioactive materials are gaining widespread popularity worldwide, as they have numerous applications in the medical field and are an essential tool for advancing the treatment of various diseases and conditions.

Market Dynamics

Materials Market Drivers

Growing Demand for Dental Care and Root Canal Treatment 

Bioactive biomaterials have been increasingly used in dental care applications for managing tissue loss due to congenital or acquired diseases such as dental caries, periodontitis, and bone defects. These materials will provide diverse functions, including inhibiting bacterial biofilm formation, remineralizing mineral loss in dental hard tissues such as dentin and enamel, and the regeneration of diseased pulp bone soft tissues.

Portland cement or mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) is a bioactive material used in root canal therapy for maintaining pulp and periodontal tissue vitality during pulp capping and perforation repair procedures. Caries of permanent teeth are estimated to affect 2 billion people worldwide, while 520 million children suffer from caries of primary teeth. Thus, the demand for bioactive materials will likely increase in the dental care industry in the forecast period.

Increasing Applications in the Medical Industry

Bioactive materials play an integral role in the medical industry as they restore function and facilitate healing for people after injury or disease. Biomaterials may be synthetic or natural and are utilized in medical applications to support, improve, or replace damaged tissue or a biological function. Materials such as bio cement and biostaple are used in medical implants in heart valves, stents, and grafts; hearing loss implants, artificial joints, ligaments, and tendons; and devices that stimulate nerves.

According to WHO, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the foremost cause of fatality worldwide, taking an anticipated 17.9 million lives annually. Cardiovascular disease, the preliminary cause of mortality in the United States, results in the death of an American individual approximately every 36 seconds. By 2030, 43.9% of Americans will have cardiovascular disease, increasing the demand for bioactive materials for surgical procedures. Thus, the increasing application of bioactive materials in the medical field will likely boost the market studied in the forecast period.

Market Restraints

High Cost and Regulations

One of the major challenges for bioactive material is the operational cost, which utilizes these materials in plastic surgeries and medical implants such as heart valves, stents, and artificial joints, making it difficult for the weaker section of society to get operated on. Moreover, there are many challenges when designing an effective drug-eluting medical device or tissue-engineered construct.

In addition to design challenges, regulatory approval of these products is a major consideration. Medical devices, drugs, and biologics are all regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States to ensure the safety and efficacy of any new product. Thus, the regulatory approvals of all the newly developed products take a lot of time after proper verification, and convincing the government to meet regulations is a challenge, as a huge capital expenditure is involved in developing any new process or product.

Market Opportunities

Rising Healthcare Market in Emerging Economies

The bioactive materials market in emerging economies is predicted to expand substantially over the forecast period. This is largely attributable to the surging patient population, rising adoption of implantable devices, rising awareness of cardiovascular diseases, surging disposable income, improving healthcare infrastructure, and less stringent regulatory guidelines (compared to developed nations) in these nations.

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are among the world's economies with the highest growth rates. In 2020, according to the World Economic Forum, these emerging economies accounted for one-third of global healthcare expenditures. The rising demand for surgical procedures, the rising geriatric population, and the rising incidence of target diseases are some of the main factors expected to expedite the demand for advanced healthcare services and novel medical devices in the healthcare systems of these countries. This is anticipated to present bioactive materials market participants with growth opportunities in the future years.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global bioactive materials market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America Dominates the Global Market

North America is the most significant global bioactive materials market shareholder and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 15.85% during the forecast period. North America is estimated to dominate the global market due to the United States' highly developed healthcare industry and ongoing investments in the medical technology industry. The United States healthcare industry is one of the most advanced in the region. As per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, between 2021 and 2028, national healthcare expenditures are projected to increase by an average of more than 5.5%, reaching approximately USD 6.192 trillion by 2028. Moreover, the increasing number of forest fires in the United States is a leading cause of burns and even trauma injuries caused by accidents in the region where tissue, bone, and ligament regeneration utilize bioactive materials, boosting the market.

Additionally, Canada's total health expenditures were valued at USD 245.72 billion in 2022 and are anticipated to reach USD 264.5 billion by year's end. Surgical procedures necessitate using sophisticated medical equipment and components, such as bioactive substances. This, along with the use of these materials in the pharmaceutical industry, is anticipated to drive the bioactive materials market in North America over the coming years.

Europe is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 13.72% over the forecast period. Europe is the second-largest market in this industry due to the region's extremely rapid geriatric population growth, increases in life expectancy, and rising prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases. As per the National Health Service (NHS), approximately 10 million persons in the United Kingdom have arthritis, of which 8.5 million have osteoarthritis. Additionally, based on results of the first medium-term population projection by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports, between 2020 and 2035, the number of people aged 67 or over will rise by 22% from 16 million to an expected 20 million in Germany.

Furthermore, increasing demand for bioactive materials in dentistry, orthopedics, and wound care is expected to boost the regional market for bioactive materials. For instance, France is one of Europe's largest oral care markets, with a revenue of around USD 1.25 billion in 2020, according to Statista Consumer Market Outlook, increasing the demand for bioactive materials in dental care applications.

In Asia-Pacific, the market for bioactive materials is expanding at a healthy rate because of the region's rapidly expanding healthcare sector. The region's developing nations, like India and China, are spending more on medicine and healthcare. The region's growing population and rising healthcare costs are expected to have a significant positive impact on the market for bioactive materials. In recent years, the significance of oral care and oral care products has increased dramatically due to increased consumer awareness and improved information dissemination. In 2019, as per the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, approximately 3.1 million dental implants were placed in Chinese patients, continuing a recent upward trend.

Furthermore, In India, around 10 percent of the population is above 60 years of age, so the country's requirement for hip and knee replacements is increasing. Estimates show that over 1,20,000 knee replacement procedures and about 70,000 hip procedures occur annually in India. Thus, all the abovementioned factors will likely provide a huge market for bioactive materials in the forecast period.

Brazil is the leading revenue contributor in the South American region. According to the Instituto de Estudos de Sade Supplementar (Brazil), the number of persons with private dental insurance in Brazil has risen in recent years. The number of beneficiaries increased to more than 29 million in 2021 (first quarter), up from 25.9 million in 2020 and roughly 30% more than in the first quarter of 2018. The aged population is increasing in the country, increasing the common health problems of getting older. In addition, joint, knee, and hip replacements and other procedures are increasing among people. In 2020, senior Brazilians aged 65 and up will account for 10.53% of the population. Due to the aspects mentioned above, the demand for orthopedics and dental care will likely increase the demand for the country's bioactive materials market during the forecast period.

Segmental Analysis

The global bioactive materials market is segmented by material type and application.

Based on material type, the global bioactive materials market is bifurcated into bioactive glass, bioactive ceramics, bioactive composites, and other material types. 

The bioactive glass segment dominates the global market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 16.28% over the forecast period. Bioactive glasses' bioactive qualities make them suitable for various therapeutic applications in medicine and dentistry involving the regeneration of hard tissues. In dentistry, its applications include dental restorative materials, mineralizing agents, a coating material for pulp capping, dental implants, root canal therapy, and air abrasion. In medicine, its applications range from orthopedics to soft-tissue restoration. Larry Hench introduced bioactive glasses in the early 1970s, with Bioglass 45S5 being the first commercialized glass. In addition, bioactive glasses exhibit exceptional biocompatibility and bioactivity, rendering them ideal for use as therapeutic materials. Bioactive glasses are osteoconductive, meaning they adhere to the bone without using fibrous connective tissue.

New bio-composite materials with a wide range of orthopedic and dental applications have resulted from the development of polymer and inorganic fillers. Biocomposites have a high level of biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical strength. The bioactivity of biocomposites could be enhanced by using bioactive fillers such as hydroxyapatite, wollastonite glass-ceramics, and bioactive glass. In addition, numerous experimental formulations of bioactive composite materials are now being explored worldwide, even though just a few commercial items are ready for clinical use. Bioactive composites' caries-preventive impact is achieved through two basic mechanisms: antibacterial activity and remineralization of tooth hard tissues.

Based on application, the global bioactive materials market is segmented into orthopedics, dental care, nanomedicines and biotechnology, and other applications. 

The orthopedics segment owns the highest market share and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 16.06% during the forecast period. Orthopedics includes a wide range of applications that use bioactive components, including resorbable scaffolds to reinforce soft tissue, bone grafting materials, cell therapies, and biological factors delivered through a device. The use of bioactive products in treating bone and soft tissue injuries has been a flourishing area of interest for surgeons in many fields. In addition, applications of bioactive materials include vertebral prostheses, intervertebral spacers, bone grafting, and other orthopedic implants. Due to their osteoconductive qualities, bioactive ceramics are commonly used in orthopedics as coatings to improve device attachment or as bone-graft alternatives. They serve as a scaffold to aid bone development on their surface.

Other applications include trauma injuries, burns, and others. Soft tissues are constantly subjected to damage like burns or mechanical traumas, tumors, and degenerative disease, necessitating the use of biomaterials-based therapies for thousands of people. In recent years, the quality of life of individuals suffering from nerve injury due to trauma or neurodegenerative disorders has deteriorated noticeably. The bioactive material is used for nerve tissue repair during regeneration. Like natural bone, TCP is a bioactive substance that stimulates bone development and healing. Similarly, bioactive materials made with PCL, PCL/collagen, and nanocomposites of a polymer blend of PCL/Collagen were used to reconstruct damaged tissues. Owing to the abovementioned factors, the demand for bioactive materials from other applications will likely impact the market studied.

Recent Developments

• January 2023- RevBio, Inc. announced that it received permission from the Italian Ministry of Health and the Ethics Committee of the University "G.D.Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara to initiate a 15-patient pilot clinical trial. The primary objective of this study is to determine how long it takes for the adhesive biomaterial Tetranite® to regenerate bone in the maxillary and mandibular dental arches.
• July 2023- IFF introduced its Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB) technology for the large-scale production of biobased materials. DEB technology is designed to provide sustainability benefits and contributes to the expanding demand for eco-friendly biopolymers.