Tag: Advair

Top 25 Pharmaceutical Products in 2015

Posted in PerspectivesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments
to p25 drugs Igea Luca Dezzani

to p25 drugs Igea Luca Dezzani

The prescription drugs market includes a large number of formulation products that address a diverse array of therapeutic requirements. Prescription drugs have life-cycle that is distinguished by high sales revenues during the patent-protected period. The parent companies invest in sales and marketing of the products to maximize their return on investment on research and development. The sales usually rapidly taper-off after patent expiry, as the products are exposed to competition from generics and biosimilars.

The global prescription drugs market was estimated to be USD 1,114 billion in 2015. A list of top-25 prescription drugs products based on sales revenues was collated using the reported revenues of the parent companies. These 25 drugs are marketed by 19 companies, that are the leading players in the pharmaceutical industry. The combined revenues of the top-25 drugs in this market together accounted for close to 15% of the global sales revenues of prescription drugs in 2015. Furthermore, these 25 drugs were also had a remarkably narrow scope of treatment profiles. Most drugs in the list are primarily for the treatment and management of cancer, diabetes, inflammatory disorders, and HIV or HCV infections.

table

  1. Humira

Humira (adalimumab) is a biologic therapy product for multiple inflammatory conditions that is administered as a subcutaneous injection. It remained the best-selling prescription drug product in the world in 2015. Humira is manufactured by AbbVie Inc. (U.S.), and is recommended for the treatment and management of rheumatoid arthritis. The sales of Humira was USD 14,021 million in 2015 – a 12% increase over the sales of USD 12,543 million in 2014. The sales of Humira accounted for 61% of AbbVie’s revenues in 2015. The composition patent for this product will expire in December 2016 in the U.S. and October 2018 in Europe. This is likely to expose the company to substantial competition from biosimilars.

 

  1. Harvoni

Harvoni (ledipasvir, sofosbuvir) is an oral formulation from Gilead Sciences, Inc. (U.S.) for the treatment of HCV. It was the best-selling product for Gilead in 2015. The revenues from Harvoni were USD 13,864 million in 2015. The product had debuted with sales of USD 2,127 million in 2014. The patent for the product will expire in 2030, making it an important candidate in Gilead’s patent estates.

 

  1. Enbrel

Enbrel (etanercept) is indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions. The sales of Enbrel were USD9,027 million in 2015. It is marketed by Amgen Inc. (U.S.) in the U.S. and Pfizer Inc. (U.S.) in Europe. Pfizer has and co-promotion agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (Japan). Takeda markets Enbrel in Japan. Though the product is already facing competition in Europe, the U.S. patent of the product will expire in August 2019. Remicade, Humira, and Stelara are its important competitor products in the U.S.

 

  1. Remicade

Remicade (infliximab) is and anti-TNF alpha monoclonal antibody that is indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders. The sales of the product stood at USD 8,957 million in 2015. The sales declined by 9 % between 2014 and 2015. The U.S. patent for the product will expire in September 2018, following which the product is expected to face substantial competition from biosimilars.

 

  1. Lantus

Lantus (insulin glargine injection) marketed by Sanofi S.A. (France) was the top-selling diabetes product in the world in 2015. It is administered as a once-daily subcutaneous injection for the treatment of adult patients with type 2 diabetes. The revenues from Lantus stood at USD 7,209 million in 2015. The U.S. patent for the product expired in August 2014.

 

  1. Avastin

Avastin (bevacizumab) is an angiogenesis inhibitor that is used for the treatment of cancer. It was the best-selling product for F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland) in 2015. The U.S. patent for the product will expire in 2019. Roche has been applying for FDA approvals for the use of Avastin for the treatment and management of multiple types of cancers. The revenues of the product increased from USD 6,629 million in 2014 to USD 6,905 million in 2015.

 

  1. Herceptin

Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a targeted therapy for HER2-positive metastatic breast and gastric cancers. It was another one of Roche’s best-selling cancer treatment products in 2015. The revenues for Herceptin stood at USD 6,754 million in 2015. The U.S. patent for the product is set to expire in 2019.

 

  1. Prevnar

Prevnar was the world’s top-selling vaccine product in 2015. The sales of the Pneumococcal vaccine stood at USD 6,245 million in 2015 – a 40% increase from revenues of USD 4,464 million in 2014. Prevnar was one of the best-selling product for Pfizer Inc. (U.S.) in 2015, and is expected to remain an important part of the company’s portfolio till its U.S. patent expiry in 2026.

 

  1. MabThera / Rituxan

Rituxan (rituximab) is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that is used for the treatment of cancer. It was one of the top-three products for Roche in 2015. The revenues for this product were USD 5,827 million in 2015. However, sales of the product are expected to decline after the expiry of its U.S. patent in 2015.

 

  1. Revlimid

Revlimid (lenalidomide) was the best-selling product for Celgene Corporation (U.S.) in 2015. The revenues for the company from Revlimid increased by over 16%, from USD 4,980 million in 2014 to USD 5,801 million in 2015. The product is indicated for the treatment of multiple myloma. It’s U.S. patent is expected to expire in 2027, which makes it an extremely important product in the company’s portfolio.

 

  1. Crestor

Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium), is a prescription cholesterol medication that is indicated for the treatment and management of CVD. The U.S. patent for the product expired in January 2016. The sales of the product have steadily declined since 2013. The revenues of the product were USD 5,427 million in 2015 – an 8.20% decline from revenues of USD 5,912 million in 2014.

 

  1. Sovaldi

Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) is a nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor. The once daily oral formulation is indicated for the treatment of HCV. It one of the highest-selling products for Gilead Sciences, Inc. (U.S.). The revenues of this product were USD 5,276 million in 2015. However, it experienced a 49% decrease in sales between 2014 and 2015. Sovaldi’s U.S. patent will expire in 2029, which makes it another important candidate in Gilead’s portfolio.

 

  1. Seretide / Advair

Advair (salmeterol, fluticasone propionate) is indicated for the treatment and management of asthma. Advair is the best-selling product for GlaxoSmithKline plc (U.K.). The product’s revenues stood at USD 5,228 million in 2015. However, its sales have steadily declined since 2013. The sales of the product declined by 13% between 2014 and 2015 and 20% between 2013 and 2014. The sales are expected to decline further after the U.S. patent expiry in 2016.

 

  1. Copaxone

Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) is a subcutaneous injection formulation for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. It was the best-selling product for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel) in 2015. However, the sales of the product have declined since the expiry of U.S. patent in May 2014. The revenue of the product declined by 7%, from USD 5,575 million in 2014 to USD 5,213 million in 2015.

 

  1. Neulasta

Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) is a recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) from Amgen Inc. (U.S.). It is used to decrease the incidence of infection during cancer treatment. The U.S. patent for the product expired in June 2015. The revenues of the product stood at USD 4,715 million in 2015.

 

  1. Gleevec / Glivec

Glivec (imatinib) is a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor that is used for the treatment of multiple cancers. It was the best-selling product for Novartis AG (Switzerland) in 2015. The revenues from the product were USD 4,658 million in 2015. However, the revenues of the product declined by 2% between 2014 and 2015. The U.S. patent of the product expired in July 2015 and it is facing substantial completion from generics in emerging market like Asia.

 

  1. Xarelto

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is a prescription oral anticoagulant manufactured by Bayer AG (Germany). It is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) in the U.S. The revenues of the product have increased rapidly between 2013 and 2015. The revenues of the product increased by 29% between 2014 and 2015 and by 77% between 2013 and 2014. With the U.S. patent for the product set to expire in 2020, Xarelto will remain the most important product in Bayer’s portfolio.

 

  1. Januvia

Januvia (sitagliptin) is indicated for the management of type-2 diabetes. It was one of the best-selling drug product for Merck & Co. (U.S.) in 2015. It The product’s revenues were USD 3,864 million in 2015, a 2% decline from USD 3,931 million in 2014. However, with the U.S. patent set to expire in 2022, Januvia will continue to remain one of the most important candidates of Merck’s portfolio.

 

  1. Lyrica

Lyrica (pregabalin) is an anti-epileptic from Pfizer Inc. (U.S.). It was the best-selling and fastest-growing products for neurological disorders in 2015. Lyrica’s sales increased from USD 3,350 million in 2014 to USD 3,655 million in 2015, at a 9% annual growth rate. The company’s product patent for Lyrica is set to expire in 2018, which will very likely ensure high sales figures for the product till the end of that period.

 

  1. Lucentis

Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) is the only ophthalmology product in the list of top-25 drugs. The product is indicated for the treatment of macular degeneration. It had sales of USD 3,630 million in 2015. However, sales of the product had declined by 14% between 2014 and 2015.

 

  1. Truvada

Truvada (emtricitabine, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) was one of the top-3 products for Gilead Sciences, Inc. (U.S.) in 2015. Furthermore, with the U.S. patent of the product set to expire in 2021, it’ll continue to remain and important candidate in the company’s portfolio. The product is a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) that is indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infections. The product had sales of USD 3,459 million in 2015, a 4% increase from sales of USD 3,340 million in 2014.

 

  1. Symbicort

Symbicort (budesonide, formoterol) is used for the prevention of bronchospasm in patients suffering from asthma or COPD. Symbicort was one of the best-selling products for AstraZeneca plc (U.K.) in 2015. Furthermore, it is the company’s only product in this list, the patent of which has not expired as of April 2016. The product’s sales declined sharply from USD 3,801 million in 2014 to USD 3,394 million in 2015.

 

  1. Spiriva

Spiriva (tiotropium) is an inhalation spray from Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany). It was the best-selling product for the company in 2015. The U.S. patent of the product expired in 2012. The sales of the product have consistently declined since then. The sales of the product declined from USD 4,007 million in 2013, to USD 3,651 million in 2014, to approximately USD 3,201 million in 2015.

 

  1. Nexium

Nexium (esomeprazole) is a proton pump inhibitor that is indicated for the treatment and management gastroesophageal reflux disease. It was one of the top-three products for AstraZeneca plc (U.K.) in 2015. However, following the expiration of the U.S. patent of the product in February 2015, the sales of the product have declined sharply. The product’s sales decreased by 26% from USD 4,292 million in 2014 to USD 3,196 million in 2015.

 

  1. Atripla

Atripla (efavirenz, emtricitabine, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) is a once-daily anti-HIV formulation from Gilead Sciences, Inc. (U.S.). It was one of the company’s top-five products in 2015. The revenues for the product were USD 3,134 million in 2015 – a 10% decline from the sales of USD 3,470 million in 2014. However, Gilead’s patent for the product is set to expire in 2021, which makes this an important candidate in the company’s patent estates.

 

References: