Sarcopenia means loss of skeletal muscle mass or loss of flesh by aging. Sarcopenia is associated with functional impairments in tasks such as standing up from a chair or lifting 10 pounds and physical disabilities such as not able to perform home chores and personal care. The loss of muscle tissue may progress more rapidly after the age of 60 or 70, however the exact rate of decline may vary, and a person may lose 3-8% of muscle mass per decade. Symptoms of Sarcopenia include decrease in muscle size, weakness, loss of endurance, trouble in climbing stairs and poor balance. As such there is no approved treatment available for sarcopenia, however nutrition and dietary supplements can play an important role in its treatment. Nutrition prevents accelerated muscle loss during the period of muscle disuse and maintains energy levels. Some of the important supplements for treating sarcopenia include proteins, amino acids, creatine, omega 3 acid, vitamin D and B12, and calcium carbonate.

Sarcopenia Treatment Market Drivers

Increasing geriatric population is expected to boost growth of the sarcopenia treatment market growth. According to the World Health Organization, by 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and above is expected reach 2 billion from 900 million in 2015. The conferences, meetings held by the foundations help to expand and share the knowledge and information about the sarcopenia treatment which will in turn drives the growth of sarcopenia treatment market. For instance, in April 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held its public meeting on Patient Focused Drug Development (PFDD) for sarcopenia. The focus of the meeting was to obtain patient perspectives on symptoms and daily impacts of their condition.

Increasing investments in production of drugs and supplements are expected to boost growth of the sarcopenia treatment market. Furthermore, a growing number of pharmaceutical and food processing companies are focused on developing nutrition supplements for treatment of sarcopenia. For instance, in February 2016, Nestle announced that it has made a strategic investment for of USD 42.5 million in Pronutria Biosciences. The Nestlé’s cash will used by Pronutria Biosciences to develop a new compound called PN-107, which has the potential to tackle muscle loss caused by aging, prolonged bed rest. These factors are expected to drive growth of the sarcopenia treatment market.

Malnutrition and vitamin deficiency in developing countries is expected to boost growth of the sarcopenia treatment market. Reduction of hormone secretion rate and increasing vitamin deficiency as a result of aging are expected to create high demand for sarcopenia treatment supplements. Economic factors such as rise in consumer spending by the geriatric population, and increasing per capita healthcare expenditure are expected to drive demand for sarcopenia treatment supplements. According to the National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA), in 2016 the U.S. health care spending grew by 4.3%, reaching US$ 3.3 trillion or US$ 10,348 per person.

However, no new developments for the treatment of sarcopenia are also expected to hamper the market growth of sarcopenia treatment. In addition, the non-availability of new drugs is expected to hinder the sarcopenia treatment market in the upcoming years.

Sarcopenia Treatment Market Regional Analysis

North America is expected to hold a dominant position in the sarcopenia treatment market, owing to presence of developed healthcare facilities and infrastructure in countries such as the U.S, and Canada. Moreover, the demand for sarcopenia treatment has increased in the region due to high focus on healthcare by the government, technological advancements are likely to fuel growth of the sarcopenia treatment market during the forecast period.

Europe is expected to be the second largest sarcopenia treatment market over the forecast period. For instance, in February 2019, Biophytis SA, a Paris (France) based company focused on development of novel therapeutics for age-related diseases, announced three oral and poster presentations at the 2019 International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research (ICFSR). In this conference, the company presented the details of its lead clinical drug candidate, Sarconeos (BIO 101), that included its history and unique mechanism that targets the MAS receptor for preservation of muscle function in muscle wasting disorder. In addition, the company also presented the clinical trial design of its ongoing SARA Phase 2 study of Sarconeos to treat sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia Treatment Market Key Players

Some of the major players operating in the sarcopenia treatment market include GlaxoSmithKline, Radius Health Inc., Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer Inc., Nestle S.A., Sanofi S.A., Bayer AG, and Novartis AG, Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

Sarcopenia Treatment Market Taxonomy

On the basis of treatment type, the global sarcopenia treatment market is segmented into: