A new branch of medicine, which aims at treating diseases with the use of electrical pulses in place of drugs, is known as bioelectronic medicine. An alternative term for bioelectric medicine is electroceuticals. These group of therapies work by transmitting electrical pulses and are known to influence the function of the body as a substitute to the conventional pharmaceutical solutions. The major aim of bioelectric medicine is to improve the end result of the treatment and reduce the cost of treatment along with the overall economic burden of healthcare industry.
This form of medicine is a novel approach for treating chronic diseases in the current scenario. It is being used to re-establish the pattern electrical impulses by implanting a device on specific nerves, which can identify and selectively modify electrical impulses near them. This leads to precise, perpetual treatment of disorders, but with lesser negative effects in comparison to conventional medicines.
The evolution of this branch of medicine involves foundational parts, including several scientific discoveries, technological developments, and medical advances. This branch of medicine is involved in treating various forms of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, infertility, hypertension, and several other chronic disorders.
In addition, bioelectric medicines can be distinguished on the basis of implantable and non-implantable devices. Implantable devices include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, spinal cord stimulation devices, deep brain stimulation devices, vagus nerve stimulation devices, cochlear implants, and others.
The others category includes devices such as sacral nerve stimulation devices, hypoglossal nerve stimulation device, retinal implant, dorsal root ganglion stimulation devices, periphery nerve stimulation devices, phrenic diaphragm pacing system, occipital nerve stimulation devices, gastric nerve stimulation devices, responsive nerve stimulation devices, and trigeminal nerve stimulation devices.
The non-implantable category involves devices such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.
Under bioelectric medicine, systems that have evolved over the years include pacemakers and neurostimulation therapies. Technologies supporting the growth of these evolutions involve subcutaneous ICDs, cardiac contractility modulators, and telemonitoring in case of pacemakers and high-resolution stimulation leads, closed-loop adaptive systems, in case of neurostimulation therapies.
Based on the market intelligence published by BIS Research titled “Global Bioelectric Medicine Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2019-2025,” the bioelectric medicine market generated a revenue of $18,636.4 million in 2018. The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.41% during the forecast period, from 2019 to 2025.
The market growth is driven by one of the major factors such as growing geriatric population, leading to a growth in the exigency of bioelectric medicine and increasing burden of diseases promoting the use of bioelectric medicine. Some of the diseases contributing to the increasing adoption of bioelectric medicine include neurological disorders, cardiovascular disorder, hearing loss, and blindness, among others.
There are several other factors that are leading to the growth of the market, which include low success rate of pharmaceutical drugs in treating certain ailments, along with side effects or adverse effects caused owing to the usage of certain drugs.