Europe Anesthesia Drugs Market Size

Europe Anesthesia Drugs Market Analysis

The Europe Anesthesia Drugs Market size is expected to grow from USD 1.75 billion in 2023 to USD 2.04 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 3.17% during the forecast period (2023-2028).

The outbreak of COVID-19 impacted the European anesthesia drugs market, as hospitals and healthcare services were significantly reduced due to the social distancing measures enforced globally. In addition, intensivists and anesthesiologists are teaming up to treat COVID-19 patients. They reported that ventilated COVID-19 patients often require high doses of intravenous sedative drugs, such as propofol, midazolam, ketamine, and dexmedetomidine. As per a research study published in May 2020, titled “Sedating Ventilated COVID-19 Patients with Inhalational Anesthetic Drugs”, patients with severe lung injury from causes other than COVID-19 have shown that inhalational anesthetic drugs improve oxygenation and cause lower mortality, compared to propofol or midazolam. An article titled “The impact of COVID-19 on anesthesia and critical care services in the UK: a serial service evaluation”, published in the journal of Anaesthesia in September 2021, indicated that in January 2021, one-third of the anesthesia staff were unavailable, 42% of operating theaters were closed, and national surgical activity reduced to less than half, including reduced cancer and emergency surgery.

Moreover, the use of inhalational anesthetic drugs for ventilated COVID-19 patients is both practical and cost-effective in low- and high-income countries. These drugs allow sedation levels to be closely and rapidly controlled. These drugs reduce inflammation, dilate airways, and improve oxygenation, thus opening up new horizons for the market.

Certain factors driving the market growth include an increasing number of surgeries, new approvals of anesthetic drugs, and a reduction in the cost of newly invented drugs. In Europe, the number of surgeries being performed is increasing every year. The increase in the number of surgeries performed has a considerable impact on the anesthetics market, as anesthetics are widely used in all surgical procedures to reduce pain during surgery. According to the Royal College of Surgeons of England's data on the surgeries in England, published in May 2021, there were around 4.95 million people in England, waiting for surgery. A large number of surgeries in the region is expected to drive the growth of the anesthesia drugs market over the forecast period.

However, general anesthetic drugs cause several side effects, including nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, sore throat, shivering, muscle aches, disorientation, itching, sleepiness, and mild hoarseness. Other factors such as lack of skilled anesthetics and regulatory issues are restraining the market growth.