The rheumatoid arthritis drugs market generated $12.7bn in 2010

Sunday 30 October 2011, Amsterdam

This new report predicts that world revenues for rheumatoid arthritis drugs will rise strongly between 2011 and 2021. This market will grow to reach $17.3bn in 2015. The rheumatoid arthritis drugs market generated $12.7bn in 2010, according to Rheumatoid Arthritis: World Drug Market 2011-2021, published in September 2011.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which skeletal joints become inflamed, causing pain, swelling and stiffness. RA can affect a person's ability to carry out everyday tasks. It is not known why rheumatoid arthritis develops, and there is no cure. Understanding of the disease has improved, however, and there are treatments that ease the pain and other symptoms, managing the disease.

Diya Lahiri, pharmaceutical industry analyst, said: "The world rheumatoid arthritis treatments market will benefit from the entry of new drugs this decade. There are prominent needs in the RA market, the most important being the development of drugs that are truly disease modifying rather than merely symptom managing. R&D efforts will help develop novel treatments that will not only benefit patients but also help researchers understand rheumatoid arthritis better."

This study forecasts that the rheumatoid arthritis drug market will expand steadily to 2021. The future of the market is promising, with increasing demand for novel treatments such as biological drugs. The prospect of newer, more-effective drugs for RA, such as anti-TNF agents, will help this market to grow further.