Motion Sickness Treatment Market

Motion Sickness Treatment Market Research, 2031

The global motion sickness treatment market size was valued at $393.7 million in 2021, and is projected to reach $525 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 2.9% from 2022 to 2031. The growth of the market is expected to be driven by high potential in untapped, emerging markets, due to availability of improved healthcare infrastructure, increase in unmet healthcare needs, and surge in demand for effective motion sickness medication.  

The most prominent medical condition associated with traveling is the motion sickness. Some people experience uncomfortable and even feel sick while driving, or on a ride at an amusement park, or in an aircraft. This condition is referred to as motion sickness. Multi-axial motion and acceleration are frequent causes of motion sickness, particularly when the body experience some sensation and the eyes perceive another. Although the sensation is frequently temporary, many people experience it for an extended period of time, which causes great discomfort and anxiety. 

In addition, some groups of people are more likely to experience motion sickness symptoms which include pregnant women, and children aged between 2 and 12 years. The early symptoms and signs of motion sickness include nausea, increased salivation, belching, feeling sweaty, hyperventilating, and an overall uncomfortable sensation. However, motion sickness can be prevented or treatment using pharmacological therapies including the antihistaminic drugs, anticholinergic drugs, and others.

The motion sickness treatment market was negatively impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic due to decreased number of tours and travels around the globe and subsequent decrease in sales of motion sickness medication. In addition, the pandemic had led to either closure or suspension of production activities in most industrial units across the world which also affected the manufacturing of motion sickness medications to some extent.

Market Dynamics 

Growth of the motion sickness treatment market size is driven by many factors such as increase in incidence of motion sickness, surge in demand for effective treatments and rise in R&D activities in pharmaceutical fields. Growth & innovations in the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacturing of motion sickness medications owing to massive pool of population experiencing motion sickness, creates an opportunity for the growth of market. 

In addition, the rise in incidences of motion sickness among the population is driving the market growth. For instance, according to Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA), motion sickness is a concern for each person, but around 10% of the population is majorly prone to it than others. This highlights the increase in demand for motion sickness medication which leads to the expansion of motion sickness treatment market size. 

Over the past few years, there has been a rise in the number of product approvals for motion sickness medications. Approvals for generic and branded version of transderm patches and also other medications is leading to an increase in adoption of these medications. This propels the growth of the market. 

Furthermore, rise in consumer awareness related to preventive healthcare and ease of accessibility of medications boost the adoption of motion sickness medications. Moreover, increase in promotional activities for new products by the manufacturers is expected to fuel their adoption during the forecast period.  

The outbreak of COVID-19 has disrupted workflows in the health care sector around the world. The disease has forced several industries to shut their doors temporarily, including several sub-domains of health care. The global motion sickness treatment market also experienced a decline during the pandemic, due to global economic recession led by COVID-19.

In addition, one of the most major impacts has been a decrease in the demand for passenger transportation as a result of a combination of government lockdowns and concerns about acquiring and transmitting the virus. This, reduction in travel led to the decrease in demand for motion sickness medication, which negatively impacted the market. In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak disrupted the supply chain across various end-user industries like food & beverage, healthcare, and industrial. However, the market is anticipated to witness recovery post-pandemic, and show stable growth in the coming future.   

Segmental Overview 

The motion sickness treatment market is segmented into drug class, route of administration, distribution channel, and region. By drug class, the market is categorized into antihistamines, anticholinergic and others. By route of administration, the market is bifurcated into oral, and others. By distribution channel, the market is classified into hospital pharmacies, drug stores & retail pharmacies and online providers. Region wise, the market is analyzed across North America (the U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, and rest of Asia-Pacific), and LAMEA (Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and rest of LAMEA). 

By Drug Class:  

The antihistamines segment held largest global motion sickness treatment market share in 2021 and is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period owing to low cost, over the counter availability, and effectiveness in reducing motion sickness. In addition, presence of key players such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., WellSpring Pharmaceutical Corporation. and Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. offering antihistamine medications for motion sickness prevention and treatment is boosting the segment growth.  

On the other hand, the anticholinergics segment is anticipated to grow at a fastest rate during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to the advantages and effectiveness that anticholinergic drugs offer in prevention of motion sickness. While there are many alternative options for treating motion sickness such as over-the-counter medicines and other prescription drugs, anticholinergics specially the scopolamine transdermal patches have been proved to be very effective. This is anticipated to propel the growth of anticholinergic segment.  

By Route of Administration:  

The oral segment acquired major motion sickness treatment market share in 2021. This growth is attributed to the wide range of products offered in this segment by the key players. Major key players such as Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. is offering a wide range of oral medications for motion sickness which are cost effective than transdermal patches. This is boosting the market growth. 

The others segment is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. This is attributed to an increase in adoption of transdermal patches for the treatment and prevention of motion sickness. Furthermore, these transdermal patches offer advantages such as easy to use, control release action and effectiveness for longer period as compared to the medications. This will boost the motion sickness treatment market growth in coming years. 

By Distribution Channel:  

The drug stores and retail pharmacies dominated the market in terms of revenue in 2021, and is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period, owing to pharmacies & drug stores is the oldest and most conventional medium distributing motion sickness medication to consumers, and availability of these products at discounted price. Most of the population prefer drug store & retail pharmacies for purchase of motion sickness medications, due to the convenience, accessibility, and range of services offered by drug stores & retail pharmacies.

On the other hand, the online providers segment is anticipated to grow at a fastest rate during motion sickness treatment market forecast period owing to the quick accessibility, time savings, and significant discounts and incentives offered by online providers. Moreover, there is great surge in online services and the world of e-commerce is taking over. Online pharmacies sell prescription and over-the-counter medicine at fairly low prices in comparison to normal pharmacies. This is anticipated to foster the growth of the market during the forecast period. 

By Region:  

The motion sickness treatment market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. North America dominated the global market in 2021, and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. U.S. serves to be the prime market in North America in terms of revenue in the year 2021 and Mexico is expected to grow at a fastest rate with a CAGR during the forecast period.  

The region's well-developed healthcare infrastructure and government support for quality healthcare are contributing factors to this dominance. The presence of key market players, offering high quality motion sickness medications in North America, particularly in the U.S., is leading to the expansion of the market in this region. In addition, the introduction of new products for the treatment of motion sickness by these key players in motion sickness treatment industry is also contributing toward the market growth.  

Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period registering a highest CAGR rate. On regional level, Japan dominated the market in 2021 in terms of revenue, and India is anticipated to grow at a fastest rate during the forecast period. The market growth in this region is attributable to presence of pharmaceutical companies in the region as well as growth in the purchasing power of populated countries, such as China and India.

Moreover, rise in healthcare expenditure and adoption of high-tech processing to improve the production of motion sickness medication, drive the growth of the market.  Furthermore, the Asia-Pacific region exhibits the largest medicine supply and the largest pharmaceuticals industry with availability of raw material in abundance for motion sickness treatment industry, which can be easily accessed by manufacturers for manufacturing of motion sickness medications. This, in turn, drives the growth of the market. 

Competition Analysis 

Competition analysis and profiles of the major players in the motion sickness medications, such as Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc., Baxter International Inc., Novartis AG, WellSpring Pharmaceutical Corporation., Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC., Abbott Laboratories, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Viatris Inc., Zydus Lifesciences Limited and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited. are provided in this report.

There are some other important players in the market such as Hameln Pharma Gmbh, Pfizer Inc., Lupin Ltd. and others offering motion sickness treatment products and contributing to the market growth. Major players have adopted product approval and merger as key developmental strategy to improve the product portfolio of the motion sickness medications.  

Product Approvals in the Motion Sickness Treatment Market 

• In June 2020, Zydus Lifesciences Limited received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market Meclizine Hydrochloride Tablets in the strengths of 12.5 mg and 25 mg used to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness. 
• In August 2022, Zydus Lifesciences Limited received a final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market Prochlorperazine Maleate tablets, USP 5 mg and 10 mg used to control severe nausea and vomiting. 

Recent Merger in Motion Sickness Treatment Market 

• In November 2020, Viatris Inc. was launched following the successful combination of Mylan N.V. and Pfizer's Upjohn business. By combining these two complementary legacy companies, Viatris has the scientific, manufacturing and distribution expertise to deliver high-quality medicines to patients in more than 165 countries and territories. 

Key Benefits For Stakeholders

• This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the motion sickness treatment market analysis from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing motion sickness treatment market opportunity.
• The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.
• Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network.
• In-depth analysis of the market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities.
• Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market.
• Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players.
• The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global motion sickness treatment market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies.

 Motion Sickness Treatment Market Report Highlights