Trends that affect BioGaia

Global challenges and opportunities

As society and global change develop, people’s perceptions of health and business opportunities change as well. BioGaia works in close collaboration with researchers, suppliers and distributors to create value for stakeholders.

Consumer awareness

In the future, consumers and other stakeholders will increasingly evaluate companies based on their sustainability efforts. For example, consumers will want to know where products originate and whether they are produced in an ethical and sustainable manner. As a result, a company like BioGaia has to be transparent about its sustainability initiatives. Together with our distributors in each market, it’s also essential that we provide such information and knowledge and make it available to consumers.

At BioGaia, we strive to be a sustainable producer of probiotics. We aim to accept responsibility and ensure that sustainability risks are considered throughout the entire value chain, from supplier and distributor all the way to consumer. In addition to reducing the number of materials used and increasing resource efficiency, efforts are also being made to ensure a safe production process, safe products, and ethical business practices.

 

Increased illness and a growing interest in health

As Western lifestyles spread around the world, physical and mental ill health are on the rise. Stress, sedentary lifestyles and poor diets are leading to more and more health problems. Unsurprisingly, there has been an increase in global interest in general health and in health products. Organic food and dietary supplements are expected to continue to grow strongly. Increasingly, more consumers seek information about preventive healthcare via the internet.

With a focus on promoting greater health and wellbeing, BioGaia products are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide through a large network of distributors.

While today we currently focus on digestive and oral health, we will expand our focus as new areas of research develop.

 

Demographic changes

As the world’s population grows and ages, interest in health also increases. By 2030, the UN estimates that the world’s population will reach 8.6 billion. It is expected that 300 million of these billion people will be over the age of 65.

Africa, Asia (excluding Japan), Latin America and the Caribbean will see the largest population increases in the next few years. The birth rate is falling in Japan, North America, and Western Europe at the same time that the population is ageing.

BioGaia’s largest segment today is paediatrics, and while Europe is still the biggest market, expansion in both Asia Pacific and the Americas continues. In the Adult Health segment, BioGaia is well positioned for growth with products within digestive health and oral health. A large number of clinical studies with BioGaia’s bacterial strains are underway and new indications, such as the prevention of osteoporosis, provide the basis for continued product development.

 

Antibiotic resistance

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance continues to increase and poses a threat to the effective treatment of common infectious diseases. One way to lower the use of antibiotics is to reduce prescriptions for viral infections such as colds, influenza and mild respiratory tract infections, which antibiotics cannot treat.

Another way is through preventive work. If fewer people become ill or have milder symptoms, the use of antibiotics can be reduced. This has been shown in studies with BioGaia’s L. reuteri Protectis strain. A study was also published in the European Journal of Public Health showing a correlation between the intake of probiotics and a reduced need for antibiotics among children. Through strengthening the immune system, probiotics can play a key role in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

In the past decade, extensive research efforts, in particular by the National Institute of Health (NIH) Human Microbiome Project, have determined that the microbiome is central to the immune system and could play a major role in preventing or treating diseases. This is where BioGaia’s research is at the forefront through its subsidiary MetaboGen.