The Market Share of TNF-alpha Inhibitors for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Will Decrease from 75 Percent in 2010 t

Actemra/RoActemra is Expected to Emerge as the Preferred Biologic for TNF-Refractory Patients and Will Earn Blockbuster Sales in 2020, According to Findings from Decision Resources

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, owing to the increasing use of effective alternative biologics and the uptake of emerging oral therapies, the market share of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis will decrease from 75 percent in 2010 to 53 percent in 2020 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

The findings from the Pharmacor topic entitled Rheumatoid Arthritis reveal that the dominance of the TNF-alpha inhibitors and insight from interviewed experts clearly indicate that rheumatologists are relatively satisfied with the efficacy of this drug class and that clinicians place great importance on positive long-term safety and physician familiarity. New agents entering the rheumatoid arthritis market will be judged according to these standards and must show compelling advantages to be considered in the same line of therapy as the TNF-alpha inhibitors, most notably, Amgen/Pfizer/Takeda’s Enbrel, Abbott/Eisai’s Humira and Janssen Biotech/Merck/Mitsubishi Tanabe’s Remicade.

Roche/Chugai’s interleukin-6 inhibitor Actemra/RoActemra is the most recent novel entrant to the rheumatoid arthritis market, having launched in Japan in 2008, in Europe in 2009 and in the United States in 2010. Actemra/RoActemra is expected to emerge as the preferred biologic for TNF-refractory patients and is forecast to earn blockbuster sales of $1.3 billion in 2020.

The findings also reveal that two emerging agents, Pfizer/Takeda Pharmaceutical’s oral Jak inhibitor, tofacitinib and AstraZeneca’s (formerly Rigel’s) Syk inhibitor, fostamatinib disodium, could alter the rheumatoid arthritis treatment algorithm. Tofacitinib (formerly known as tasocitinib or CP-690550) and fostamatinib disodium will likely be used ahead of the TNF-alpha inhibitors and will therefore divert a minority of patients away from TNF-alpha inhibitor therapy. Additionally, tofacitinib is expected to have a stronger impact than fostamatinib disodium on the market.

“The entry of biosimilar TNF-alpha inhibitors beginning in 2014 will mitigate the decline in TNF-alpha inhibitor’s patient share by offering lower priced alternatives to premium priced emerging competitors,” said Decision Resources Analyst Benjamin Guikema, Ph.D. “However, sales of the class will be markedly eroded as biosimilar versions of Enbrel and Remicade account for 41 percent and 34 percent, respectively, of each molecule’s market share in 2020.”

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Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources Group company.

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