Russia's Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Market will Reach Over $470 Million by 2014

Agents from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Merck and UCB Will Command 23 Percent of the Total Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Market in Russia in 2014, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, forecasts that the rheumatoid arthritis drug market in Russia will reach $472 million by 2014. Factors promoting the market's growth include steady increases in prevalent rheumatoid arthritis cases, increased rate of diagnosis, greater use of biological agents and new product launches.

"In 2009, branded drugs accounted for approximately 87 percent of the rheumatoid arthritis drug market in Russia," stated Decision Resources Analyst Natalia Reoutova, M.Sc. "Increasing use of biologics, of which the vast majority will maintain brand exclusivity on the Russian market, anticipated launches of new premium-priced therapies and low rates of generic erosion ensure that sales of branded drugs will continue to grow and will reach 91 percent of the total market in 2014."

The new Emerging Markets report entitled Rheumatoid Arthritis in Russia also finds that two agents expected to launch by the end of the 2009 – 2014 forecast period -- Merck's Simponi and UCB's Cimzia -- in addition to Pfizer's Enbrel and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Orencia that became available in Russia in 2010 will command 23 percent of the total Russian rheumatoid arthritis drug market. This will be facilitated by the recently lowered regulatory hurdle (separate Phase II/III domestic clinical trials are not required), the absence of biosimilar competitors for most of the forecast period and rheumatologists' desire to prescribe biologics in patients who can afford them or who receive state-sponsored coverage of their cost.

"Given that the majority of high-value biological agents for rheumatoid arthritis are priced significantly higher in Russia than in other markets we cover and Russian physicians' optimism regarding increasing use of biological agents, emerging rheumatoid arthritis therapies will find a limited but receptive market in Russia," added Ms. Reoutova.

The new report features extensive primary research of Russian rheumatologists and epidemiology study, with analysis of trends in two major Russian cities—Moscow and St. Petersburg—and the country overall.

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SOURCE Decision Resources