Global RA treatment market expected to increase just over $19 billion by 2020

The approval of revolutionary biological therapies has triggered unparalleled market growth, says GBI Research.

Analysis from business intelligence provider GBI Research - Rheumatoid Arthritis Market to 2020 - says that the global Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) treatment market is expected to increase in value, from $14.3 billion in 2013 to just over $19 billion by 2020, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.1%.

This growth will be driven by the approval of revolutionary biologics, including Enbrel, Remicade and Humira, for the treatment of patients who are refractory to methotrexate. However, many patients also fail to respond to these second-line therapies. Furthermore, there remains a significant unmet need in terms of safer drug profiles and a convenient route of administration.

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RA affects approximately 4.9 million people across the eight major markets (the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan). It is costly to healthcare services and leads to substantial economic and quality-of-life impairments for patients, at least 50% of whom are unable to maintain full-time employment within 10 years of onset.

Senior Analyst Yasser Mushtaq: "Prior to 1998, treatment options were limited to small-molecule disease-modifying therapies, such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine and antimalarials. However, approximately 33% of all patients are unresponsive to these first-line drugs.

"Second-line Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α)-targeting biologics, Humira, Remicade and Enbrel, were ranked among the top 10 best-selling drugs in the world in 2013, with respective global revenues of $11.1 billion, $9.9 billion and $8.9 billion."

Key Findings Include:

• Competition for TNF-α inhibitors is fierce and dominates the second-line treatment of patients who are refractory to first-line, disease-modifying therapies
• The current pipeline is highly active and innovative with a strong biologics presence throughout, reflecting the clinical and commercial success of these molecules in the marketed products landscape
• Analysis of 506 clinical trials since 2006 identified that RA products have a high rate of attrition