Global market for asthma treatment expected to reach $21.7 billion by 2020

Asthma treatment could see significant step forward aspersonalized treatments enter arena, says GBI Research.

Despite generic erosion facing several of the leading asthma brands, such as Advair (fluticasone propionate/salmeterol xinafoate), Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate) and Xolair (omalizumab), the global market for asthma treatment is set to witness moderate growth by the end of the decade.

New analysis from business intelligence provider GBI Research Asthma Therapeutics Market to 2020 forecasts the asthma therapeutics market to grow marginally across the top eight developed nations, from $18.4 billion in 2013 to a projected value of $21.7 billion by 2020 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.4%.

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The global prevalence of asthma is significant, believed to affect approximately 300 million people worldwide. This burden is predicted to increase in future, reaching 400 million by 2025.

Associate Analyst Fiona Chisholm: "Although the majority of asthma patients are able to manage their symptoms effectively using currently marketed products, some remain inadequately controlled with these same products. This unmet need, coupled with rising global prevalence, has resulted in strong industry interest.

"Consequently, the current asthma pipeline is highly innovative, featuring several promising molecules in late-stage drug development. Biologics and monoclonal antibodies, the latter in particular, are gaining prominence within the indication."

Novel monoclonal antibodies such as mepolizumab, reslizumab, lebrikizumab, and dupilumab target Interleukins (IL), or IL receptors, and have demonstrated potential in severe and inadequately controlled eosinophilic asthma, in turn representing a shift towards personalized therapy. Despite the fact that they target only a small patient sub-set, they are likely to be priced highly and to drive market growth, offsetting the impact of generic erosion.

Three Key Findings:

• The US will remain leading market, growing to an estimated $14 billion by 2020
• Generic erosion of branded products has been limited by regulatory hurdles and the difficulties inherent in trying to produce a bioequivalent Inhaled Corticosteroid/Long-Acting Beta Agonist (ICS/LABA) combination drug and inhaler device
• The UK's prevalent population for asthma will grow to 9.1 million by 2020, keeping it the highest among the five major European markets