Constipation Treatment Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032

Constipation Treatment Market Outlook

The constipation treatment market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.70% during the forecast period of 2024-2032, likely to be driven by increasing prevalence of chronic idiopathic constipation, along with increase in drug development research activities across major markets.

Constipation Treatment Market Overview

Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions with a prevalence of 20% in the general population and 29.6% in children. In the United States, functional constipation (which is a common subtype of the condition) is responsible for 3% to 5%  of the pediatric visits. Around 84% of the functionally constipated children suffer from fecal incontinence, whereas more than one-third of children display behavioral issues due to constipation. Around 12% of the global population reports self-defined constipation, out of which, the American and Asia Pacific population suffers twice as much than the European population.

The constipation treatment market demand is primarily driven by a change in the dietary habits of the population. Dietary causes such as insufficient intake of fiber, anatomical causes, neurologic causes, metabolic and endocrine causes, which include hypokalemia, hypercalcemia, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus (DM), and diabetes insipidus, are some of the most common physiological etiologies of the condition.

Surge in Drug Approvals to Boost Constipation Treatment Market Growth

As pediatric constipation has a higher incidence rate, there has been high emphasis on offering better therapeutics solutions to address the unmet needs of children. In May 2023, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that the FDA approved LINZESS® (linaclotide),  their latest once-daily constipation treatment for children aged between 6-17 years. This is the first and only drug to be approved to treat functional constipation in this section of the population. The drug is developed and marketed by AbbVie and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals together. LINZESS also help in alleviating abdominal pain, bloating, discomfort, and pain associated with IBS-C.

Innovative Technical Approaches to Offer Improved Treatments

Factors like the advent of new technologies, increasing convergence of machine, and computer aided techniques in the healthcare ecosystem, along with a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms of the body, are expected to contribute to the rising constipation treatment market share significantly. Treating chronic idiopathic constipation is a key area of attention amongst scientists since the exact causes are still unknown. In June 2023, the U.S. FDA approved a vibrating capsule called Vibrant  to manage chronic idiopathic constipation in patients. Programmed with a computer chip, this capsule starts vibrating, after about 15 hours of being swallowed, after it reaches the colon.

Rising Awareness Campaigns and Initiatives to Make Significant Impact

The constipation treatment market size is further impacted by the advent of latest research and development aimed at providing better therapeutic alternatives to the patients. There have been significant initiatives by the government bodies and non-profit organizations to destigmatize the condition in patients. For instance, December 2023 marks as the constipation awareness month, wherein several numerous organizations join to conduct awareness activities and campaigns to educate the masses about constipation complications and preventive measures.

Constipation Treatment Market Segmentation

Market Breakup by Product Type

• Mu-Opioid Receptor Antagonists

• Laxative

• Chloride Channel-2 Activator 

• Guanylate Cyclase-C (GC-C) Agonist

• Others

Market Breakup by Disease Type

• Opioid-Induced Constipation

• Chronic Idiopathic Constipation

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation

Market Breakup by Prescription Type

• Corticosteroids Prescribed Drugs

• Over-the-Counter Drugs

Market Breakup by Distribution Channel

• Online Pharmacy

• Drug Store and Retail Pharmacy

• Other

Market Breakup by Region

• United States

• EU-4 and the United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • United Kingdom

• Japan

Constipation Treatment Market Regional Analysis

The United States is expected to lead the market owing to increasing constipation treatment market demand. Having a robust healthcare research and development infrastructure plays a pivotal role in market growth. The region is witnessing continuous research on improving patient outcomes. For instance, in June 2023, The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) published wherein there was an investigation on new therapeutics methods for chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC).  As per the studies, magnesium oxide and Senna (which comes from Senna alexandrina herb) can be used as an alternative. 5-HT4 agonists such as prucalopride have also been recommended for cases wherein the usual OTC treatments have not been responded for CIC.

Constipation Treatment Market: Competitor Landscape

In May 2023, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., entered a definitive partnership with VectivBio Holding AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leading novel and transformational treatments for severe to rare gastrointestinal conditions. This collaboration is worth around USD 1 billion and is expected to bring effective and improved solutions to cater to a wider section of the patients suffering from gastrointestinal issues.

The key features of the constipation treatment market report include patent analysis, grants analysis, clinical trials analysis, funding and investment analysis, partnerships, and collaborations analysis by the leading key players. The major companies in the market are as follows:

• Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.

• Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

• Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

• Abbott Laboratories

• AstraZeneca Plc

• Cosmo Pharmaceuticals NV

• Sanofi S.A.

• Bayer AG

• Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

• Pfizer Inc

• Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

• Janssen Pharmaceutical Company

• Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH

• Ardelyx Inc.

• AbbVie Inc.

Kindly note that this only represents a partial list of companies, and the complete list has been provided in the report.

Key Highlights of the Report