GlobalData : Asia-Pacific shoulder replacement to hit $95.8 million 2023

The shoulder replacement market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, which covers Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, is set to rise from $57.3 million in 2016 to around $95.8 million by 2023, representing a compound annual growth rate of 7.6%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData.

The company's latest report states that key growth drivers include the increasing aging population and rising prevalence of arthritis, expanded indications for reverse shoulder replacement, patient preference for an active lifestyle, and the sustained popularity of shoulder-intensive sports.

Tobe Madu, MSc, Healthcare Analyst for GlobalData, explains: 'While extremity implants have been available for more than three decades, recent trends have been to update historic devices with improved materials and function. Novel implants focus on recreating patient anatomy and joint function to develop a motion-retaining and uninhibited replacement option to meet the needs of an aging global population with an active lifestyle.

'In particular, modern shoulder replacement implants are making an impact on the market. Trends in recent years have moved away from total shoulder replacement into reverse shoulder replacement, as indications for the latter have expanded beyond rotator cuff arthropathies.'

As well as expanded indications and the popularity of reverse shoulder replacement causing an increase in procedure volume among the elderly, younger patients are driving the need for revision arthroplasty due to poor outcomes. Stemless shoulder devices, which have been available on the market in Europe for the past few years, aim to make future revision more straightforward and allow replacement to be performed in younger patients. However, there is no indication for when these will enter the APAC market.

Madu adds: 'In terms of the market environment, shoulder replacement is the largest segment of the extremities space, and most companies focus on this specific joint in their extremities portfolio.

'In 2015, Zimmer's strategic acquisition of Biomet and Wright Medical's merger with Tornier a strategic acquisition and merger created Zimmer Biomet and Wright Medical respectively, created two of the most comprehensive extremities platforms on the market. This will provide economies of scale into a market which is relatively small compared to that of large joints. Effectively, there will be increased competition for other major players with robust shoulder portfolios, including DePuy Sythes, Lima Corporate, and Stryker. The projected growth rate of the extremities market makes it a determinable profit driver for any company that succeeds in capitalizing on this opportunity.'

- Information based on GlobalData's report: MediPoint: Shoulder Replacement - APAC Analysis and Market Forecasts.