Botanical and Plant-Derived Drugs: Global Markets

Report Highlights

The global market for botanical and plant-derived drugs was valued at $23.2 billion in 2013 and $24.4 billion in 2014. This total market is expected to reach $25.6 billion in 2015 and nearly $35.4 billion in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% from 2015 to 2020.

Report Includes

• An overview of the botanical drug industry, with the overall plant-derived drug industry as a backdrop and the global market for these drugs going forward.
• Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2013 and 2014, estimates for 2015, and projections of CAGRs through 2020.
• A focus on legal, prescription-required therapeutic medicines sold in the open market; the study does not specifically cover herbals generally sold as dietary supplements (i.e., to promote overall “wellness” rather than to address a specific medical condition or symptoms).
• Examination of the industry structure, competition, and market drivers.
• Discussion of market size and segmentation, including breakdowns of sales by therapeutic area and geographic area.
• Observations and conclusions regarding the future of the botanical and plant-derived drug industry.

Report Scope

This report is an analytical business tool whose primary purpose is to describe the botanical drug industry with the overall plant-derived drug industry as a backdrop and the global market for these drugs going forward.

For the purposes of this report, botanicals are those drugs that are FDA-approved under the botanical drug pathway, while plant-derived drugs are both botanicals as well as other approved drugs that contain a mixture of natural plant-derived and synthetic or semisynthetic substances.

The study’s main focus is on legal, prescription-required therapeutic medicines sold in the open market. The study does not specifically cover herbals generally sold as dietary supplements (i.e., to promote overall “wellness” rather than to address a specific medical condition or symptoms). While there is a substantial market for these products, the medical value of many of these substances has not been demonstrated conclusively.

The study also does not cover the following:

• Underground or illicit drugs.
• Home remedies.
• Tribal medicines.
• Drugs derived from Archaea, bacteria and fungi (molds and yeasts).
• Nonmedicinal plant substances such as laxative cellulose and pectin fiber.
• Intravenously delivered nutrients of plant origin, such as dextrose.
• Plant-derived substances serving as pharmaceutical excipients, such as starch, methylcellulose, guar gum, vegetable oils, fatty acids, cocoa butter and candelilla wax.
• Plant substances serving in cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products.
• Microbial fermentation products, even those made with culture media incorporating corn steep liquor, starch or other plant-derived nutrients.
• Marine life.

The format of the study is organized around the following topics:

• Major types and applications of botanical drugs with plant-derived drugs as their backdrop.
• Industry structure.
• Market size and segmentation, including the breakdown of sales by therapeutic area and geographic area.
• Market drivers.
• Market projections through 2020.
• Competition.
• Observations and conclusions regarding the future of the botanical and plant-derived drug industry.

Analyst Credentials

Kim Lawson is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a degree in English Literature and an M.A. in management from Harvard University's extension program. She acquired experience as a healthcare journalist, including working for John Wiley & Sons as a print reporter, before serving as a research analyst in a small market research firm (in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina) that focused on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Before joining that firm, she published two reports on emerging and established diagnostics and therapeutics for benign and cancerous breast disease.