The glaucoma market in the world amounted to 4,800 million dollars in 2021 and the US market would represent 1,900 million, according to Market Scope estimates.
Also this company projects that the global market will grow 6.6% annually, to about 6.6 billion in 2026, while the US market is expected to grow 7.1% annually, to about 2.7 billion in 2026.
In this context, the company Ocular Therapeutix indicates that the market for drugs administered through eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma consists of brand and generic products, while brand products have maintained premium prices and a significant market share.
These products include Lumigan (bimatoprost) marketed by Allergan, Travatan Z (travoprost) marketed by Novartis, and Tapros marketed by Santen.
While the relevant patents covering travoprost expired in December 2014, commonly used generic drugs include latanoprost and timolol.
Glaucoma Market
This is a highly individualized and progressive disease in which elevated IOP levels are associated with damage to the optic nerve, resulting in irreversible vision loss.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world.
Ocular hypertension is characterized by elevated IOP levels without optic nerve damage, and patients with ocular hypertension are at high risk of developing glaucoma.
According to Market Scope, it is estimated that in 2021 there were 111.1 million people worldwide with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
In the United States, there were an estimated 4.3 million and 3.5 million with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, respectively.
Both groups are also estimated to grow 2.3% annually through 2026.
The main goal of glaucoma treatment is to slow the progression of this chronic disease by lowering IOP, and many medications can do this.
Importantly, however, adherence to current topical glaucoma therapies is known to be particularly poor, with reported non-compliance rates of 30 to 80 percent.
These low compliance rates may be associated with disease progression and vision loss and may be part of the reason that glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in people over 60 years of age.
Health
In a healthy eye, fluid is continuously produced and drained to maintain pressure balance and provide nutrients to the eye tissue.
Excessive fluid production or insufficient fluid drainage in the front part of the eye or a combination of these problems causes an increase in IOP.
The increased IOP associated with uncontrolled glaucoma results in degeneration of the optic nerve at the back of the eye and loss of peripheral vision.
Once glaucoma develops, it is a chronic condition that requires lifelong treatment.
Prostaglandins are the most commonly used class of drugs to treat glaucoma patients and are administered via daily eye drops as the current standard of care.
The ability of patients to use and place eye drops on a daily basis is a challenge.
That’s why the products Ocular Therapeutix develops are designed to address the compliance issue by delivering a prostaglandin analog, or PGA, formulated with its timed-release hydrogel to lower IOP for several months with a single insert.
