The global pancreatic cancer market is experiencing rapid expansion and is set to hit $1.6bn by 2017, largely driven by strong performance from Celgene’s Abraxane.
It’s a strong validation for Abraxane, which has only recently been approved for pancreatic cancer, picking up US and European licences in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Sales predictions by GlobalData forecast the area will see a sharp rise in value in the five largest European countries and the US, climbing from $529m in 2012 to $1.63bn by 2017.
The analysts expect Abraxane’s sales to undergo a massive rise, from $21m in 2012, when its use for pancreatic cancer would have been off-label, to $954m in 2017. Furthermore, they say Abraxane will represent nearly 60 per cent of the pancreatic cancer therapeutics market by the end of the forecast period.
Savade Solanki, GlobalData’s associate director of oncology, said: “The large number of unmet needs in this disease, coupled with high physician familiarity, have facilitated the rapid adoption of Abraxane into clinical practice for advanced pancreatic cancer.
“We expect the Abraxane-gemcitabine regimen to win substantial patient share from all other major treatment options, including gemcitabine monotherapy, Tarceva-gemcitabine, and FOLFIRINOX regimens.”
The market is also expected to be buoyed by six pipeline candidates, with NewLink Genetics Corporation’s algenpantucel-L leading the pack in sales terms, thanks to expected launches in both resectable and unresectable locally-advanced settings.
Other drugs marked out by GlobalData as having significant sales potential include Threshold Pharmaceuticals/Merck’s TH-302 and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals’ MM-398.
The GlobalData report predicts the US will show the most growth in the pancreatic cancer therapeutics market, with its total value jumping from $275m in 2012 to $1.17bn by 2017, followed by the five European countries, with their combined market values expected to increase from $254m in 2012 to $463m.