Expiry of blockbuster Rituxan in the EU will hinder its market growth there
The global Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) treatment market will increase in value from $5.6 billion in 2013 to $9.2 billion by 2020, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.4 percent, says business intelligence provider GBI Research.
The company’s latest report states that high unmet clinical needs and the launch of promising drugs will be key global drivers, although the patent expiry of blockbuster Rituxan in the EU will hinder market growth in this region.
According to Sravanthi Addapally, Analyst for GBI Research, while Rituxan has dramatically improved NHL patient prognosis and been the standard of care in front-line treatment regimens and also in maintenance settings, there is increasing evidence of rituximab resistance.
Addapally explains: “Overcoming rituximab resistance has been a major focus of recent therapeutic development. This treatment challenge will create space for the entry of three promising new therapies, which will ultimately drive NHL market growth.
“Following their anticipated launches, the second generation anti-CD20 monoclonal Antibody (mAb), ofatumumab, and the third generation anti-CD20 mAb, obinutuzumab, may be able to induce stronger complement-dependent cytotoxicity in rituximab-resistant cell lines. Additionally, the immunotherapeutic vaccine dasiprotimut-T has the potential to eliminate the risk of rituximab resistance.”
While these product launches will have a positive impact on the market, Rituxan, or Mabthera in the EU, is set to lose its patent exclusivity in this region by the end of 2014, limiting further growth.
Addapally comments: “Mabthera, which was initially approved by the European Medicines Agency in 1998 for relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular NHL, gained a number of line extensions and is currently approved for many NHL sub-types. A new subcutaneous formulation of Mabthera has also been approved in the EU. While Mabthera is expected to retain its superior share of the NHL treatment space, the cost decrease following the drug’s patent expiry will be the prime reason for the flat market in the EU.”
EP News Bureau–Mumbai
