TNF-alpha inhibitors and interleukin inhibitors to drive psoriasis drug market

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the continued uptake of marketed and emerging TNF-alpha inhibitors and interleukin inhibitors will drive the psoriasis drug market to increase from $3 billion in 2008 to $5.2 billion in 2018 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

The new Pharmacor report entitled Psoriasis finds that, among the TNF-alpha inhibitors, Amgen/Pfizer/Takeda's Enbrel maintained its market dominance in 2008 but Abbott/Eisai's Humira will emerge as the psoriasis market leader in 2018 with blockbuster sales of $1.3 billion. The report also finds that Centocor Ortho Biotech/Janssen-Cilag's Stelara and Abbott's briakinumab -- both of which belong to the interleukin inhibitor drug class -- will together account for almost one-quarter of the psoriasis market in 2018. Briakinumab is the most promising emerging agent in the psoriasis market, according to the report.

"Briakinumab is expected to launch in early 2011 and we forecast that its sales will exceed $550 million in 2018," said Decision Resources Analyst Irene Koulinska, M.D. "In contrast, none of the oral agents in development such as Isotechnika Pharma's voclosporin and Celgene's apremilast seem to offer major advantages over marketed systemic therapies, and their potential launches are not expected to have a notable impact on the psoriasis market."

Incyte's Jak inhibitor INCB-18424, a topical therapy with a novel mechanism of action, is expected to receive regulatory approval in the United States and Europe in 2013. The report finds that although INCB-18424 has demonstrated excellent efficacy in Phase II clinical trials, safety concerns and competition from lower priced brand and generic corticosteroids and vitamin D3 analogues will restrict sales of the agent through 2018.