The pharmaceutical market for women's healthcare is poised to exceed $97 billion by 2013, according to estimates compiled by medical market research publisher Kalorama Information.
The forecasted figure equates to a compound annual growth rate of approximately 9 percent for the period beginning in 2008, when the women's healthcare market reached almost $64 billion.
The new report, "Women's Health: Worldwide Prescription Drug Markets," examines pharmaceutical treatments for disorders that affect the female reproductive system and other disorders where there is at least a 70 percent preponderance of women affected by the condition.
Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information, attributes the market strength of pharmaceuticals for women to several industry segments, including rheumatoid arthritis treatments in the autoimmune disease segment, antivirals in the gynecological infections and sexually transmitted disease segment, and treatments for osteoporosis.
Carlson said sustained future growth will be supported by the aging of women globally and the expected increase in product demand as new product approvals and introductions provide a greater variety of options.
The Kalorama report notes that, despite the advances in women's healthcare, the need for continued innovation is strong. Kalorama expects the next 10 years to progressively reflect significant changes in the market for new treatments combating women's health disorders, due largely to the growing empowerment of female consumers and the rising demand for safe and effective medications and lifestyle drugs.
"There's room for improvement," said Carlson. "Current research has opened potential breakthroughs, creating a new era of treatment possibilities. However, in many of the disorders routinely impacting women, current product offerings are simply mediocre."
The report contains product pipeline information, market data, competitor profiles and discussions of the major issues and trends shaping the industry.