Venous thromboembolism drugs to experience robust growth by 2019

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, driven primarily by the launch and widespread uptake of novel oral anticoagulants, the combined markets for drugs used in the treatment and prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism will experience robust growth, increasing from $2.9 billion in 2009 to more than $5 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

The Pharmacor 2010 findings from the topic entitled Venous Thromboembolism reveal that, in 2009, the leading therapies for VTE treatment/secondary prophylaxis and primary prophylaxis were low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). The hold that these therapies have on the market will be severely reduced following the introduction and deep market penetration of novel therapies that offer significant benefits over currently available agents. Sales of the leading LMWH, Sanofi-Aventis's Lovenox, will also be affected by the launch of generic versions of the drug, beginning in 2010.

The Pharmacor 2010 findings also reveal that the high unmet need for a novel oral anticoagulant for the acute treatment and long-term secondary prophylaxis of VTE will fuel stronger rates of growth in this market compared with the venous thromboembolism primary prophylaxis market.

"The emerging oral anticoagulants will revolutionize current medical practice for preventing and treating VTE – the broad clinical development program of Bayer/Ortho-McNeil's Xarelto, coupled with its impressive performance in Phase III studies, will enable it to emerge as the sales leading oral anticoagulant in the VTE market," said Decision Resources Analyst Matthew Killeen, Ph.D. "Nevertheless, Xarelto will face strong competition from rival oral agents including Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer's apixaban and Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa, both of which are in late-stage development."