Breast cancer therapeutics market poised for period of growth
'As the breast cancer therapeutics market moves into an era of personalised medicine, high growth [from $5.9m to $11.5m by 2011] is anticipated within the biologics sector with more products being integrated into an adjuvant setting or used as preventative measures,' according to Frost & Sullivan.
'As the breast cancer therapeutics market moves into an era of personalised medicine, high growth [from $5.9m to $11.5m by 2011] is anticipated within the biologics sector with more products being integrated into an adjuvant setting or used as preventative measures,' according to Frost & Sullivan.
The worldwide breast cancer market is relatively open, with current treatment regimes causing side effects and failing to provide total cure. Existing therapeutics for other cancer indications are being investigated, but a lack of efficacy and the high toxicity of existing products, along with a lack of consensus among physicians with regard to the best course of treatment, means that there remains a significant area of unmet medical need and significant fluctuations within the market.
'Breast cancer is a multifactor disease; hence, no standardised medication is available for patients. Herceptin is the only product that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently available in the market,' states Alex Wong, Frost & Sullivan healthcare manager.
Combination therapies and early diagnosis systems are likely to offer growth prospects, according to Wong, who goes on to say that, in order to expand the market, companies must not only bring a drug successfully through the development process, but persuade payers that their 'high prices' are justified by 'increased survival periods, reduced hospital stay and an ability to reduce therapy costs'. In the face of ever-growing concerns over medication safety, he also sees increases in clinical efficiency alongside decreases in toxicity and side-effects as another route to market growth.
He notes that the expense of marketing cancer therapeutics makes it harder for smaller companies to compete with larger rivals, pointing out that: 'to support market penetration, such [smaller] companies need to follow innovative drug discovery and targeting strategies in addition to establishing strategic partnerships'.
However, the entry of generic companies as blockbuster patents begin to expire is expected to diversify the market, encouraging the introduction of low-cost therapies and making, according to Wong, 'defensive tactics essential to ensure sustainable profits'.