3B Products Market

The U.S. pharmaceutical market together with Canada and Mexico represents the largest continental pharma market worldwide. The United States alone holds over 45 percent of the global pharmaceutical market.

In 2016, this share was valued around 446 billion U.S. dollars. The global opioids market size is estimated to reach USD 34.96 billion by 2025, according to a new report by

Grand View Research, Inc., exhibiting a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. North America is leading the opioids market with a share of over 56.0% in 2016.

One of the major reasons for its dominance is rising geriatric population with terminal conditions; however, opioid abuse in U.S. has been rising at an alarming rate. Overdose of opioids has killed over 28,000 people in 2014 alone. Almost half of those deaths were caused by prescription opioids. Hence, opioid abuse has been declared a “public health emergency” in U.S., and this is likely to limit the growth of opioids in North America. More than ten million Americans reported using opioids non medically in 2014.

Nonmedical users may obtain controlled substances by getting multiple prescriptions from multiple prescribers, a behavior known as “doctor shopping,” or from friends or relatives for whom the substances were prescribed, a practice known as “diversion.” The implementation of prescription drug monitoring programs are associated with more than a 30 percent reduction in the rate of prescribing of Schedule II opioids.

Since 2010, nearly 1,400 adverse reactions related to counterfeit drugs have been reported to the FDA, according to data compiled by FDAble, a company that tracks undesirable reactions caused by medications and medical devices. The reports don’t reflect the true size of the problem. Most people who use counterfeit or compromised medications never find out about it. If they have an adverse reaction, or don’t get well, they rarely imagine a counterfeit drug may have been the cause.

Federal agents seized nearly $73 million in counterfeit drugs in 2014. But that’s a tiny slice of the black market drug trade, which may exceed $200 billion internationally and account for 10 percent of the pharmaceuticals in the global supply chain.

Additionally, some prescription drugs are tampered with as they pass through several middlemen on their way to the local pharmacy. Even if drug manufacturers know their drugs are being counterfeited, they may not want to scare patients into the arms of a competitor by revealing the problem.

According to the FDA, the drugs’ manufacturers are not required to tell a drug store, patients or the FDA that the drugs could be dangerous. The FDA, which is responsible for the safe manufacture of a drug, is not responsible for safe distribution. That responsibility lies with the individual states. 3BP’s technology can aid in the protection against drug tampering and counterfeiting, as well as its track and trace capabilities bring added value to current Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs.