Opioid is a drug class including a broad range of drugs such as morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, hydrocodone and others with widened applications in pain management. Opioid drugs produce effective results by interacting with opioid receptors present on nerve cells. Globally, millions of people have been suffering from acute or chronic pain, thus having a huge impact on domestic healthcare expenditure and supporting the growth opportunity of opioid drugs market. Significant risk is associated with misuse of opioid drugs; therefore it is recommended to take these drugs with proper dose and in appropriate condition, with physician’s prescription. 

Global sales of opioid drugs are greatly influenced by epidemiological factors such as high prevalence of cancer and chronic disorder. Opioid drugs market is also being driven by growing elderly-population, who are at high risk to suffer from mild to moderate pain. Trend towards purchasing over-the-counter opioid drugs and surging demand for recreational drugs are predicted to boost the growth of opioid drugs market. Deaths caused from opioid overdose have been escalating in recent years which is an epidemic in the United States. As per the record of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid caused death of more than 33,000 people in the year 2015 and more than half of them caused due to prescribed opioids. 

The sharp increasing trend of opioid overdose and addiction have arisen global health concern and hence many initiatives have been taken by governments and healthcare organizations exerting challenge to the growth of opioid drugs market. Market penetrance of non-opioid drugs to circumvent side-effects and risk associated with opioid drugs also hinder the growth opportunity of opioid drugs market. 

The global opioid drugs market has been segmented on the basis of drugs type and application type. Opioid drugs are classified into morphine, methadone, codeine, oxycodone, meperidine, fentanyl and others; whereas as per application, the market is categorized into pain management, cough suppressant, anesthesia and diarrhea. This report is comprised of the cross-sectional details of every segment and sub-segment containing data for the base year of 2020 and projected to 2030 with corresponding CAGR calculated from 2023-2030. 

The report on global opioid drugs market offers detailed market insights and comprehensive analysis of market dynamics comprising market drivers, restrains and opportunity with future prospects of opioid drugs market to allow industry experts to identify business opportunities and valuable information about prevailing trend of market to take business decision. Competitive landscape analysis of manufacturers with mergers and acquisition activities, major partnerships, collaboration, have been delivered in the study to develop accurate business strategies.

Actavis Plc., Boehringer Ingelheim, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Egalet, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Inc., Purdue Pharma, Sanofi, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. are few of the major manufacturers of global opioid drugs market. This research report contains detailed profiling of these players along with brief description and financial information.

Pain management is estimated to be the spearheading segment as a result of effective outcomes of opioid drugs. Opioid drugs play an important role in treating acute or chronic pain. The World Health Organization stated that, 80% of cancer or AIDS patients and around 67% of patients suffering from pulmonary disease and cardiovascular diseases need medical intervention for relieving pain and this high trend drives the opioid drugs market. The opioid codeine is used as ‘gold standard’ for cough suppression. However, strict FDA regulation on the usage of opioid drugs in pediatric patients has negative impact on the global opioid drugs market. Opioid drugs are effective for treating chronic diarrhea by lengthening time to pass stool from gut, moreover severe side effects of opioid drug in inducing constipation might hinder the demand for opioid drugs. Opioid drugs are largely used as an anesthetic agent especially in cardiovascular surgical procedures and with increasing number of surgical interventions, the market of opioid drugs is expected to witness major growth.

Most commonly used opioid drugs are morphine followed by codeine, which contribute major revenue to the global opioid drugs market. Morphine is enormously used in pain management for treating moderate to severe pain. Rising prevalence of cancer, arthritis, chronic pain and increasing recreational use of morphine are largely driving the global market of opioid drugs; however, the side effects and risks associated with this drug may affect the growth of opioid drugs market. Surging demand for codeine in pain relief and cough suppression fuel the growth of opioid drugs market; nonetheless, strict action against illegal practice of over-the-counter codeine drugs is expected to impact global opioid drugs market over the coming years. Methadone is gaining popularity due to its effective treatment of opioid-addiction by reducing withdrawal symptoms and diminishing cravings thus supporting the market growth. Fentanyl is more potent in terms of treatment of severe pain; the demand of this drug in treating surgical pain and increasing addiction to this drug have driven the global sales of opioids drugs.

Geographically, the global opioid drugs market is cumulative to North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America.

North America region is predicted to experience the largest growth due to continuous increasing demand for opioid drugs followed by Europe. The National Institutes of Health has reported that in the year 2015 around 50 million Americans were suffering from severe chronic pain.  Such high prevalence of acute and chronic pain acts as the major driver of opioid drugs market in North America. According to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), 80% of global opioid drugs are being consumed in the United States; such high consumption rate and the overall increment in retail sales the since last two decades have driven the opioid drugs market in this region. Increasing illicit usage of opioid drugs like heroine fuels the growth of opioid drugs market in terms of commercial aspect. As per the recorded data in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 28,000 deaths were caused in 2014 due to opioid overdose in the United States. To fight against this epidemic, several initiatives have been taken by government to prevent opioid overdose and dependence which is expected to affect the overall growth of opioid drugs market. Europe is expected to experience steady growth as a result of lower non-medical usage of opioids than United States, and strict vigilance of opioid abuse.

Furthermore, rapid development in healthcare expenditure and attention to palliative care for therapy is expected to promote the growth of opioid drugs market in Asia Pacific. Booming market of opioids in China is owing to increasing rate of cancer cases and rising surgical interventions.

Historical & Forecast Period

This study report represents analysis of each segment from 2022 to 2032 considering 2023 as the base year. Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for each of the respective segments estimated for the forecast period of 2024 to 2032.

The current report comprises of quantitative market estimations for each micro market for every geographical region and qualitative market analysis such as micro and macro environment analysis, market trends, competitive intelligence, segment analysis, porters five force model, top winning strategies, top investment markets, emerging trends and technological analysis, case studies, strategic conclusions and recommendations and other key market insights.

Research Methodology

The complete research study was conducted in three phases, namely: secondary research, primary research, and expert panel review. key data point that enables the estimation of Opioid Drugs market are as follows:

• Research and development budgets of manufacturers and government spending
• Revenues of key companies in the market segment
• Number of end users and consumption volume, price and value.
• Geographical revenues generate by countries considered in the report
• Micro and macro environment factors that are currently influencing the Opioid Drugs market and their expected impact during the forecast period.

Market forecast was performed through proprietary software that analyzes various qualitative and quantitative factors. Growth rate and CAGR were estimated through intensive secondary and primary research. Data triangulation across various data points provides accuracy across various analyzed market segments in the report. Application of both top down and bottom-up approach for validation of market estimation assures logical, methodical and mathematical consistency of the quantitative data.

Key questions answered in this report

• What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of Opioid Drugs market?
• What are the key investment pockets with respect to product segments and geographies currently and during the forecast period?
• Estimated forecast and market projections up to 2032.
• Which segment accounts for the fastest CAGR during the forecast period?
• Which market segment holds a larger market share and why?
• Are low and middle-income economies investing in the Opioid Drugs market?
• Which is the largest regional market for Opioid Drugs market?
• What are the market trends and dynamics in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa?
• Which are the key trends driving Opioid Drugs market growth?
• Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the Opioid Drugs market worldwide?