Cancer Supportive Care Drugs Market

Market Overview

The global cancer supportive care drugs market size was valued at USD 20.05 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach USD 23.86 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 1.95% from 2022 to 2030.

Palliative care, also known as cancer supportive care, focuses on relieving patients of the adverse effects of cancer treatments. In cancer palliative care, supportive medications are used to alleviate the adverse effects of cancer therapy. In many instances, cancer therapies may be discontinued, or doses must be reduced due to factors such as low blood cell counts. In such instances, cancer supportive medications, such as CSFs, enable patients to continue cancer treatment, and in other instances, it permits larger cancer therapy doses. Cancer is one of the top reasons for mortality worldwide, so there has been a growing emphasis on cancer therapies. Cancer therapies have numerous side effects, including fatigue, discomfort, reproductive issues, depression, heartburn, sexual disorders, and bone ailments. With such adverse effects, supportive care medications are preferred during cancer therapy. These reasons are anticipated to drive the market for cancer supportive care medications. However, various side effects of cancer supportive care medications may impede market expansion.

The market for cancer supportive care medications is categorised by drug class, cancer type, and geography. Drug classes for supportive cancer treatment include granulocyte-colony stimulating factors (g-csfs), erythropoietin-stimulating agents (esas), antiemetics, bisphosphonates, opioids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (nsaids), among others. North America is indicated to lead the market, with the United States holding a significant share. However, Asia-Pacific is forecasted to increase at the highest CAGR throughout the forecast period due to factors such as the increasing incidence of cancer and the expansions of large pharmaceutical companies in emerging Asian economies.

Market Dynamics

Global Cancer Supportive Care Drugs Market Drivers

The elderly population is more prone to cancer

In addition, hospital outpatient evaluation & management (E&M) visits decreased by 74%, new patient E&M visits decreased by 70%, and current patient E&M visits decreased by 60%. Around the second quarter of 2021, most regions' overall condition reverted to normal. The increasing incidence of cancer and population ageing are among the most important factors driving market expansion. According to Globocan, the number of new cancer cases will increase by 47 % from 2020 to 28.4 million during the following two decades. Moreover, the elderly are more susceptible to cancer, and life expectancy in emerging nations has surpassed 80 years. According to the SEER Database of the United States National Cancer Institute, almost two-thirds of all new cancer cases are detected in adults aged 65 and older, indicating that ageing can make people more susceptible to this disease. With the increase in technical breakthroughs, prominent firms focus on developing novel targeted cancer medicines. It has fewer side effects than conventional therapies like chemotherapy. These issues have the potential to limit market expansion throughout the predicted period.

Increased cancer prevalence and unfavourable effects

The market for cancer supportive care pharmaceuticals is driven by several factors, including the rising incidence of cancer and harmful effects associated with the use of cancer drugs, as well as the rise in the worldwide elderly population. In addition, an increase in the use of biosimilars and an increase in government spending on healthcare contribute to the expansion of the market for cancer supportive care medications. However, the discovery and preference of targeted therapy medications with fewer side effects by patients and physicians, which directly impacts the growth of the cancer supportive care drug market, may impede the industry's expansion. In addition, the rigorous approval process for biosimilars hinders the market's expansion. In contrast, the increase in R&D, the number of cancer supportive care treatments in development, and the high growth potential in undeveloped emerging nations present an opportunity for manufacturers to enter and profit from the market.

Global Cancer Supportive Care Drugs Market Restraints

Increase in targeted therapy medication advancements

Patients and medical experts now choose these treatments over others because they have fewer adverse effects than other available choices. This is because, over the past few years, there has been an increase in the research and development of medications that use targeted therapy. Because of this, there will be a direct influence on the expansion of the market for pharmaceuticals used in supportive cancer care; as a result, the rate at which the market is growing will be slowed down as a direct result of this.

Segmental Analysis

In 2021, the Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) segment maintained the most significant revenue share, greater than 26 % of total sales. Neutropenia brought on by cancer is typically treated with this method as the primary choice. In treating breast and lymphoma malignancies, it is one of the medications used most frequently in supportive care. For instance, G-CSF is given to patients with breast cancer in 70 % of cases and lymphoma in 84 % of cases in the United Kingdom. However, the increasing use of immuno-oncology (IO) medicines in treatment, such as anti-PD-1/L1s, leads to the fall of myelosuppressive chemotherapy, which reduces the growth of G-CSF. This is one of the reasons why there is a shortage of G-CSF. It is anticipated that the antiemetics market will demonstrate favourable growth during the period under consideration.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy frequently experience nausea and vomiting as a side effect of the treatment, a condition known as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The introduction of brand-new medicines, including Cinvanti, Sustol, and Varubi, has contributed to the industry's favourable growth. However, the expiration of crucial antiemetic medications' patents, such as Emend's, will affect the total revenue generated by CINV drugs. During the period covered by the forecast, a slowdown in the growth of the opioid segment is anticipated. Opioid medications have been subject to increasingly harsh regulations from the governments of several countries, notably the government of the United States. As a direct result, the rate at which opioid medicines are prescribed has significantly decreased. For instance, the National Cancer Institute reported that the national opioid prescription rate among oncologists fell by around 21 %. As a result, it is projected that such considerations will operate as a barrier to the expansion of opioid medications for the projection period.

Regional Analysis

The global market has been further segmented based on geography into the following regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Because of the introduction and swift adoption of biosimilar products and prescription opioid consumption limits, it is anticipated that the market in developed regions, including North America, will experience a fall for the projection period. Additionally, these regions have a high adoption rate of personalised and targeted therapies due to their fewer side effects, increased awareness about the availability of such therapies, and favourable reimbursement policies for high-cost targeted therapies. Moreover, these regions have a high adoption rate of personalised and targeted therapies due to their fewer side effects. There is a significant gap in providing cancer supportive care in developing nations, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Chemotherapy is still the most common treatment in these areas because of the underdeveloped medical infrastructure and low levels of personal disposable resources. It is anticipated that these factors would be the primary drivers of market expansion in these areas.

Recent Developments

• In June 2022, Amgen foundation more than doubles commitment to Labxchange, free virtual science education platform.
• In June 2022, Merck Announces the Launch of the Merck Digital Sciences Studio to Help Healthcare Startups Quickly Bring their Innovations to Market.
• In June 2022, Heron Therapeutics Announces Publication Showing ZYNRELEF as the Foundation of a Perioperative Non-Opioid Multimodal Analgesic Regimen Reduced Severe Pain and Opioid Use in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty.
• In March 2022, Heron Therapeutics Secures Pass-through Payment Status for ZYNRELEF from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Expanding Separate Reimbursement into the Hospital Outpatient Setting of Care.

Cancer Supportive Care Drugs Market Segmentation

By Therapeutic Class

• G-CSFs (Granulocyte-colony Stimulating Factors)
• ESAs (Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents)
• Anti-emetics
• Bisphosphonates
• Opioids
• NSAIDs and others

By Regional

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• Rest of the World