This month's issue of Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery features an analysis of the Irritable bowel Syndrome (IBS) market.

IBS has received considerable attention recently for both its costs in terms of societal expenditures and for the realization that an effective therapy is possible. The economic consequences of IBS are substantial not only because of direct medical care costs, but also as a result of time and productivity lost at work. The annual direct and indirect medical costs of IBS management in the US have been reported to be as high as US$8 billion and $25 billion respectively. These costs place IBS among the 10 most expensive gastrointestinal (GI) diseases in the US. Yet only 6% of the direct costs are attributed to medication (compare this to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), for which drug costs are estimated at 63% of total direct costs), making IBS a relatively under-penetrated market. Given its 12% prevalence and assuming 50% penetration, 7 (30-day) prescriptions per year and pricing in line with Novartis' tegaserod, IBS could represent a market on par with the current GERD ($15 billion) and depression ($14 billion) markets.

Read more of the analysis from Drug Discovery. The article is well-documented and discusses current treatment options as well as future market potentials. Note that the article was written by two representatives from the Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical firm developing drugs for gastrointestinal disorders, including IBS.