Global Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Drug and Devices Market - Analysis and Forecast (2017-2023)

Market Overview

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disorder. It is defined as the complications arising from the backflow of gastric contents into the esophagus due to weakened lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The main symptom is heartburn which is estimated to occur daily in 7% U.S population. The prevalence of GERD has increased by 50% over the past decade. The total worldwide prevalence is accounted to be 15-25%. It affects the quality of life and may further cause esophageal cancer. The treatment options include lifestyle modifications, medication, devices or endoscopic procedures & surgery. The GERD market is mainly driven by the dearth of treatment options. Most of the blockbuster drugs have gone off patent paving way for the generic & OTC products in the market. Due to low safety, efficacy & poor reimbursement of devices & procedures, these are not popular among physicians & patients alike. The lack of new regulatory approved medication as well as limited acceptability of devices are the major limitations of the market.

The drug market is occupied by generics & OTC products. By drug class, the market can be classified into antacids, proton pump inhibitors (PPI), histamine-2 receptor blockers (H2RA), prokinetics & complementary & alternative medicines. The antacid class has the largest market share as they provide quick relief and are available over-the-counter. The PPIs constitute the next major market share & are the first line treatment in moderate to severe GERD. H2RA are also prescribed in combination with PPIs or alone where required. The long term use of PPIs is associated with increased risk of bone fractures, low magnesium absorption, C.difficile infections etc. This is prompting patients to look for other treatment options.

With the advent of generics & OTC products the growth in GERD drugs market has decreased. The absence of patent protected & new regulatory approved medicines are the restraints for the growth of this market. The global GERD drugs market has a low growth potential in future and will account to $5.38 billion by 2023. Due to side effects of drugs on long term use, patients who fail to respond to medication & the availability of new technology, the device market is set to grow in future.

The market is dominated by drugs as they are the first line treatment for the early & mild cases of GERD. But the number of drugs in the pipeline are less & market is well established in the drugs segment. The GERD Therapy Market is divided into drugs & devices segment based on product type. The drugs segment is an established market offering antacids, PPIs, H2RAs & prokinetics. The drugs market will not show much growth in future due to loss of patent protection & absence of novel treatment options.

Among the drugs, Proton Pump inhibitors currently has the largest share of 80%. In 2023 the share is expected to be 75% with a CAGR of XX% for the forecast period from 2017 to 2023. The device segment is growing at a CAGR of 15.3% from 2017 to 2023. The devices can be categorised into invasive & non-invasive treatment procedures. Currently available devices are MUSE, LINX reflux device, Stretta & GERD-X among others.

The devices are classified as invasive & non-invasive based on the procedures followed. Invasive procedures include LINX management system & MUSE while the non-invasive include EsophyX, Endostim, Stretta, Durasphere, GERD-X. The diagnostic devices include Bravo reflux management system & Digitrapper. . The key players in the device market are Endogastric Solutions, Medigus Ltd., Medtronic Plc, Carbon Medical technologies, Johnson & Johnson etc. The gold standard in surgery for the treatment of GERD is Nissen Fundoplication.

Among all the geographical regions, North America has the highest GERD prevalence of 18.1-27.8%. In North America, the U.S. has the highest prevalence of 26.2%. Asia pacific has lower prevalence of 5-17%. The eastern countries have a lower prevalence rate than the western countries. North America is the highest revenue generating market with a value of $2.21 billion in 2016. The region is expected to grow at a CAGR of 0.3% for the forecast period from 2017 to 2023. RoW has the highest CAGR for the same forecast period.

The major players in the drug market are AstraZeneca, Eisai, Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, GlaxoSmithKline, Teva Pharmaceuticals etc. Moreover, there are drugs in the pipeline from companies such as RaQualia Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Daewoong Pharmaceuticals, SFJ Pharmaceuticals, and Cancer Advances Inc., among others.