Sarcopenia Treatment Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Sarcopenia Treatment Market Trends and Insights

Accelerating Global Aging and Fall-Related Healthcare Costs

Japan’s over-65 cohort reached 29.1% in 2023 and will likely touch 35% by 2040.^{[1] Statistics Bureau of Japan, “Population Estimates,” STAT.GO.JP}China already counts 280 million people over 60, a figure expected to reach 400 million by 2035.^{[2]National Bureau of Statistics of China, “Population Data,” STATS.GOV.CN} In the United States, falls among older adults cost Medicare USD 50 billion each year, and sarcopenia is implicated in up to half of those incidents. The Society of Actuaries calculated that a 10% cut in sarcopenia prevalence could save USD 6.7 billion over five years. These facts underpin payer pilots that reimburse nutritional counseling and resistance training for patients documented with low muscle mass, directly boosting the sarcopenia treatment market.

Rising Adoption of Protein, Vitamin D, and Calcium Supplements

Protein supplementation has moved from sports aisles into geriatric wards. Whey isolates enriched with leucine are standard in post-fracture discharge packs, and vitamin D co-supplementation trims fall risk by 12% in institutional settings, according to a 2024 Cochrane review. Retail sales of combination protein-vitamin D-calcium formulas climbed 18% year-over-year in North America and Europe during 2024. Abbott and Nestlé have repositioned Ensure and Boost as medical foods, reinforcing physician trust and keeping protein at the center of the sarcopenia treatment market.

Surging R&D Funding for First-in-Class Pharmacologics

Scholar Rock filed apitegromab, the first myostatin antibody, with the FDA in February 2025. Regeneron began a Phase 1 study of a dual GDF8-activin A antibody the same year.^{[3]Scholar Rock Therapeutics, “Apitegromab FDA Submission,” IR.SCHOLARROCK.COM} Venture and public investors have committed more than USD 1.2 billion to such programs since 2023, reflecting strong belief that the sarcopenia treatment industry is on the verge of its first drug approvals. Regulatory momentum is primed to shift revenue from commodity supplements toward high-margin biologics and lift the overall sarcopenia treatment market size.

Government Healthy-Aging and Malnutrition Programs

Japan’s 2024 policy update now reimburses dietitians who craft personalized protein plans for older citizens. China earmarked CNY 50 billion (USD 7 billion) for elderly-nutrition initiatives under Healthy China 2030. South Korea and the European Union are embedding muscle-health targets into national insurance and Horizon Europe research calls. These measures directly lower out-of-pocket costs, expanding access and stimulating the sarcopenia treatment market.

Lack of FDA-Approved Drugs and Fragmented Diagnostic Criteria

Neither EWGSOP2 nor AWGS has won FDA endorsement, forcing U.S. trials to negotiate bespoke endpoints that delay filings and muddy cross-study comparisons. Scholar Rock’s submission slipped 18 months while endpoints were finalized. Payers echo the uncertainty, with Medicare contractors differing on whether bioelectrical impedance or DXA is reimbursable. Regulatory clarity, expected in draft guidance by late 2026, remains a gating item for the sarcopenia treatment industry.

High Retail Prices of Premium Protein Supplements

Leucine-fortified whey powders cost USD 50 – 80 per month in high-income markets, pricing out seniors in countries where per-capita income is below USD 300. Soy and pea alternatives are 30% cheaper but carry lower leucine density, undercutting clinical effectiveness. Budget local brands often lack third-party testing, dampening physician confidence. Until subsidies widen, price remains a drag on sarcopenia treatment market penetration.

Segment Analysis

By Treatment Type: Myostatin Inhibitors Outpace Commodity Supplements

Protein supplements secured 55.27% of sarcopenia treatment market share in 2025, cementing their role in discharge bundles and retail aisles. However, myostatin and ActRII inhibitors are poised to grow 9.34% per year through 2031, propelled by late-stage trials and supportive cost-offset analyses. The sarcopenia treatment market size for these biologics is projected to reach USD 1.1 billion by 2031, underscoring payer willingness to fund muscle preservation that averts fall-related admissions. 

Commodity vitamins hold mid-teens share but face saturation in developed economies. SARM candidates such as enobosarm could double their sliver of the market if 2026 approvals materialize. Combination sachets that fold protein, leucine, HMB, vitamin D, and calcium into single servings simplify adherence and sustain premium pricing, offering nutrition conglomerates a hedge as prescription entrants arrive.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Route of Administration: Parenteral Gains as Hospital Protocols Evolve

Oral products represented 84.78% of the sarcopenia treatment market size in 2025, yet parenteral formats are climbing at 8.46% CAGR as ERAS pathways embed intravenous amino acids before and after orthopedic surgery. A meta-analysis across 18 trials found perioperative parenteral nutrition reduced length of stay by 1.2 days, saving USD 3,000 per hip-fracture case. 

Future approvals of subcutaneous biologics such as apitegromab would redistribute revenue toward parenteral channels and hospital pharmacies. Oral supplements remain convenient for community-dwelling seniors, but severe cases diagnosed in inpatient settings are gravitating to higher-bioavailability injections that deliver faster functional gains.

By Distribution Channel: Online Pharmacies Disrupt Traditional Retail

Hospital pharmacies retained 43.79% of sarcopenia treatment market share in 2025, courtesy of discharge prescriptions and formulary control. Still, online pharmacies are advancing at 9.68% CAGR as seniors adopt auto-replenishment models that bundle AI coaching and body-composition tracking. 

Retail drug stores face margin compression but are innovating with in-store muscle-mass kiosks piloted by CVS Health. Regulatory liberalization in the EU is smoothing cross-border e-pharmacy standards, paving the way for continued e-commerce gains.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By End User: Home-Care Settings Gain as Age-In-Place Preferences Intensify

Hospitals accounted for 42.89% of 2025 revenue, yet home-care settings are expanding at an 8.22% CAGR, reflecting both payer economics and patient preference. Portable impedance devices and tele-dietitian consultations lower clinical-oversight barriers, while long-term-care insurance in Japan now reimburses in-home nutrition services. 

Specialized rehab centers provide superior lean-mass gains but struggle with visit caps in insurance plans. The trend toward decentralized care positions home-based delivery as the long-term growth engine of the sarcopenia treatment market.

By Patient Type: Post-Acute Sarcopenia Emerges as High-Value Niche

Primary age-related sarcopenia comprised 64.37% of patient volume in 2025, yet post-acute episodes following hospitalization are rising 7.46% annually. Payers view pre-habilitation and post-discharge nutrition as cost-effective levers to cut readmissions, elevating the sarcopenia treatment market size tied to post-surgical care pathways. 

Sarcopenic obesity remains an under-served phenotype but could unlock combination drug-plus-exercise regimens, especially as GLP-1 agents paradoxically improve body composition when paired with resistance training. Secondary sarcopenia linked to chronic disease sits in the mid-teens share, opening partnership possibilities between cardio-renal drug makers and muscle-health innovators.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific captured 36.89% of global sarcopenia treatment market share in 2025 and is pacing for a 6.83% CAGR through 2031. Japan, South Korea, and China are adding screening and nutritional benefits to national insurance, while India and Southeast Asia see urban middle-class uptake of premium supplements. Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme started reimbursing sarcopenia nutritional products in 2024, reinforcing regional momentum.

North America held a mid-20s share, constrained by supplement saturation and the absence of FDA-approved drugs. Falls cost Medicare USD 50 billion each year, yet only one-third of at-risk seniors receive muscle-strength assessments. Approvals of apitegromab or enobosarm could reignite growth by shifting spending toward reimbursed biologics.

Europe accounted for the low-20s share in 2025. Germany and the UK now reimburse screening under statutory and NHS schemes. Southern Europe battles affordability issues, but Horizon Europe funding is catalyzing multicountry trials, keeping regional R&D robust.