Evaluate Your Portfolio: Hot Trends in Analgesics and Pain Patches

Author: Kongdy Patch

Date: 02 19，2024

1. The Growing Demand for Effective Pain Relief

Pain management is a large and growing market, driven by the aging population and rise in chronic conditions. Over-the-counter analgesics and prescription pain medications generated over $18 billion in sales in 2022 in the United States alone. There is increasing demand for more effective and safer ways to manage both acute and chronic pain.

2. The Rise of Abuse-Deterrent Formulations

In response to the opioid epidemic, pharmaceutical companies have developed abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) of prescription opioids like OxyContin that make crushing, snorting, or injecting the drugs more difficult. ADFs aim to maintain the therapeutic effect while preventing abuse. Uptake has been steady, with over 10 ADF opioids on the market today.

3. Novel Drug Delivery Methods Gain Traction

Transdermal patches that deliver pain medication through the skin are a growing segment, forecast to reach $8 billion by 2024. Pain Relief Patches provide consistent dosing over an extended period while avoiding gastric side effects and toxicity associated with oral analgesics. Time-release dermal patches for treatments like lidocaine are ideal for chronic nerve pain.

4. Expanding Options for Breakthrough Pain

Breakthrough pain that “breaks through” chronic medications suddenly is a major challenge. Fast-acting oral options like fentanyl tablets have risks. New battery-powered e-tablets that heat cannabis extracts sublingually have shown promise for breakthrough pain with a lower abuse potential and faster onset than edibles. More rapid, non-opioid options are needed.

5. Advances in Non-Pharmacological Therapies

Devices like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units that block pain signals are getting smaller, wearable, and connected to apps. Injectable biologics that target specific pain pathways show lasting effects on tough-to-treat pain like osteoarthritis. Digital therapeutics use virtual reality to distract the brain from pain’s perception. As alternatives expand, multi-modal pain therapy will increase.