New Biologics Expected to Power COPD Drug Spending

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) market is expected to reach $14.1 billion by 2025, according to a recent GlobalData report.

COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the world. It is characterized as an abnormal inflammatory response and airflow obstruction that cannot be fully reversed.

GlobalData forecasts that sales for the COPD market will increase from $9.9 billion in 2015 to approximately $14.1 billion in 2025 across the 8 major markets—–the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The rise represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.7%, and will be driven by an increase in diagnosed prevalent cases and the entry of new bronchodilator drug classes and anti-eosinophilic biologics, according to GlobalData.

Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of long-acting beta2-agonists/long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LABA/LAMA) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/LABA/LAMA are 2 new bronchodilator drug classes, which will consist of more expensive bronchodilators and “seize share from LABA and LAMA monotherapies” altering the landscape of COPD management.

“In terms of major players, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will be in the spotlight of the COPD market by 2025,” Alexandra Annis, MS, health care analyst at GlobalData said in a press release. “Although Boehringer Ingelheim was the market leader in 2015, AstraZeneca and GSK have invested heavily in new products, both with an ICS/LABA/LAMA FDC and biologic in the late-stage pipeline for COPD, generating sales of $3.1 billion and $5.1 billion in 2025, respectively.

“Without a first-in-class COPD late-stage pipeline therapy to offset the patent expiry of Spiriva HandiHaler, Boehringer Ingelheim is expected to lag behind in the COPD market by the forecast end, garnering 2025 sales of $1.6 billion.”

Although the COPD market continues to grow and FDCs flood the market to prevent exacerbations, there is no clear data indicating improvement in mortality outcomes. But the 2 new biologics currently in the pipeline, mepolizumab (Nucala) and benralizumab, are the only treatments that offer a novel mechanism of action, according to GlobalData.

“These therapies are anticipated to be revered as an add-on therapy for patients with high levels of blood eosinophilia who are poorly controlled with high-dose ICS therapy and at high risk for exacerbations,” Annis said in the release. “Anti-eosinophilic biologic therapies are estimated to occupy 19% of US COPD market sales in 2015. Thus, GlobalData expects Nucala and benralizumab will garner US sales of approximately $1.2 billion and $817.9 million, respectively, in 2025.”