With gains expected to continue in all segments of the orthopedic drug market, new research estimates the global market, which totaled $26.8 billion in 2005, will surge past $44 billion in 2010.According to The Worldwide Market for Prescription Orthopedic Drugs, a new report from market research firm Kalorama Information, the arthritis treatment segment shows the greatest potential for rapid growth, with sales expected to increase by 15.8%. In fact, 2006 sales are expected to grow by more than 25% over 2005, when sales fell from the previous year largely due to the withdrawal of Vioxx and Bextra from the market and the suspension of direct- to-consumer advertising of select products including Celebrex.As the world’s aging population continues to increase, the demand for therapeutics to treat a wide range of orthopedic conditions such as osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, and other bone loss and growth disorders is mounting. Generics are creeping into some sectors which until recently were brand-only, heightening competitive pressures within the market. Yet the anticipated approval of many promising products leaves the market wide open for healthy growth.”The arthritis segment alone shows an enormous potential for breakthrough drugs with more than 75 drugs currently in the pipeline, many at the Phase III level,” notes Melissa Elder, the report’s author. “For example, MabThera, a groundbreaking new drug for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, gained EU approval in May 2006 and is currently in Phase III in the U.S. This and other advancements in biologics-as well as advanced delivery methods and more targeted diagnostic methodologies-are going to continue to foster rapid industry-wide growth.”