Increased awareness and diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis (SM), and the related development of new treatments for it, will significantly increase the market share of SM pharmaceuticals through 2034, according to a recent study published in Delveinsight.
“The factors that are expected to further accelerate the growth of the systemic mastocytosis market during the forecast period (2024-2034) include the rising prevalence of systemic mastocytosis, increased awareness and diagnosis of the condition, advancements in treatment options, and the growing emphasis on personalized medicine,” the study said.
What is SM?
Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare hematological disease characterized by mast cells that are overactive and accumulate in different parts of the body such as the bone marrow, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract and lymph nodes.
An aging population and environmental factors are expected to increase the prevalence of SM in the next 10 years, the study said. Improved diagnostic criteria in recent years and more advanced diagnostic techniques could decrease the rate of patients with SM who are not adequately diagnosed.
Read more about SM treatment and care
SM is currently considered a rare disease with an incidence varying between 0.046 per 10,000 people in the United States to 10.6 per 100,000 in Spain, the study reported.
“This statistic highlights the rarity of Systemic Mastocytosis within the general population, underscoring the need for heightened awareness and understanding of the disease among healthcare professionals,” the study said.
Current clinical guidelines classify different types of SM: indolent systemic mastocytosis, smoldering SM, aggressive SM, SM with an associated hematological neoplasm and mast cell leukemia. Each subtype has specific therapeutic recommendations that reflect current trends focusing on personalized medicine.
In the last eight years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two new drugs for the treatment of SM: midostaurin and avapritinib. The drugs are disease-modifying, meaning they target the specific molecular pathways responsible for the disease, marking a shift from previous approaches based mainly on symptom control.
To address certain limitations of available therapies such as a high incidence of adverse effects and treatment resistance in a percentage of patients, two new drugs — elenestinib and bezuclastinib — are currently being investigated in ongoing clinical trials, with promising results.
