Potential Blockbuster Drugs Projected to Drive Multiple Myeloma Treatment Market

Multiple myeloma therapeutic spending forecast to his $22.4 billion by 2023.

The worldwide treatment market for multiple myeloma is projected to more than double within less than 10 years, recent analysis indicates.

Powered by the launch of 2 potential blockbuster monoclonal antibodies, Empliciti and daratumumab, spending on multiple myeloma is predicted to rise from $8.9 billion in 2014 to approximately $22.4 billion by 2023, according to a report by research firm GlobalData. This growth represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 11.2%.

The report finds that a number of patent expiries for key treatments may lead to new monoclonal antibodies that could have a significant impact on the multiple myeloma treatment landscape.

“The patents of the 2 best-selling drugs in multiple myeloma treatment, namely Revlimid (lenalidomide) and Velcade (bortezomib), will both expire in the United States and 5 European countries during the forecast period,” said Dan Roberts, PhD, GlobalData senior analyst. “As a consequence, Celgene will lose its dominance in this therapy area, with its market share anticipated to fall dramatically from 68% in 2014 to a mere 17% by 2023.”

Roberts added that Janssen/Genmab and Bristol-Myers Squibb/AbbVie have promising pipelines for the disease, highlighted by daratumumab and Empliciti, respectively. Both of these treatments are anticipated to launch in 2016.

The report projects Empliciti to achieve blockbuster status by 2018 and reach peak sales by 2022 with $4.2 billion. Daratumumab is forecast by GlobalData to achieve peak sales of $3.7 billion by 2023.

“Based on GlobalData’s primary research, it is expected that these agents will prove very popular in the stem cell transplantation-ineligible induction setting, and in patients who have relapsed on several prior therapies,” Roberts said. “We believe that Empliciti will be preferred for use in combination with Revlimid/dexamethasone over daratumumab/Revlimid/dexamethasone, due to Empliciti and Revlimid’s synergistic actions on the immune system and Empliciti being approved first with this combination, while daratumumab will be approved first as a monotherapy in patients who have stopped responding to Velcade and an IMiD.”