Through 2019, Modest $800 Million Growth in the Ulcerative Colitis Drug Market will be Driven by the Uptake of Humira, Simponi a

Humira Will Challenge Remicade As the Most Frequently Prescribed Agent Within the TNF-alpha Inhibitor Drug Class in 2019, According to Findings from Decision Resources

BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues finds that, in the ulcerative colitis drug market, modest growth of $800 million though 2019 will be driven by the uptake of Abbott/Eisai's Humira, Centocor Ortho Biotech/Merck/Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma/Janssen's Simponi and Millennium's vedolizumab in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

The Pharmacor 2010 findings from the topic entitled Ulcerative Colitis also reveal that the expanding number of diagnosed prevalence of the disease in the United States will also fuel market growth. The subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors Humira and Simponi are in late-stage clinical development for moderate to severe ulcerative colitis and will receive approval for this indication in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Increased physician acceptance of TNF-alpha inhibitors for the treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis and patient preference for more-conveniently delivered subcutaneous anti-TNF-alpha therapies will fuel the uptake of these two emerging therapies. Owing to its earlier entry into the ulcerative colitis market and physician familiarity with the agent (due to its use in Crohn's disease), Humira will challenge Centocor Ortho Biotech/Merck/Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma's Remicade as the most frequently prescribed agent within the TNF-alpha inhibitor drug class in 2019.

The Pharmacor 2010 findings also reveal that drug failures in late-stage clinical trials have plagued the clinical development of additional therapies for moderate to severe ulcerative colitis—for which the greatest level of unmet need remains.

"Although several agents are in mid- to late-stage clinical development for ulcerative colitis, interviewed thought leaders consider the cell adhesion molecule inhibitor vedolizumab to be one of the most promising emerging therapies with a novel mechanism of action," said Decision Resources Analyst Bingnan Kang, Ph.D. "Phase III clinical trials for vedolizumab in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are currently under way in both the United States and Europe."

The findings also reveal that the chronic, long-term use of TNF-alpha inhibitors for ulcerative colitis treatment—and, to a smaller extent, of novel biologics—will contribute to an increase in sales of maintenance therapies from $1.1 billion in 2009 to approximately $1.8 billion in 2019. Additionally, the more slowly growing acute market will increase from approximately $384 million in 2009 to approximately $531 million in 2019.

About Pharmacor 2010

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SOURCE Decision Resources