Rheumatoid Arthritis | Pharmacor | G7 | 2015
Last Updated 14 December 2015
The rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy market has matured to the point that TNF-α inhibitors have become firmly established as first-line biological agents, leaving non-TNF-α agents to largely compete for use in TNF-refractory patients. For emerging agents, the barrier to entry is high in the absence of clear advantages over marketed therapies. Moreover, biosimilars of infliximab have launched in Japan and the EU5 countries, and biosimilars of other market-leading biologics will launch for RA over the next few years. Thus, competition in the RA market is becoming increasingly fierce. ?However, market opportunity remains for alternative biologics and oral compounds; in particular, oral Jak inhibitors could have a substantial impact on the current treatment algorithm for RA. Pfizer/Takeda’s Jak inhibitor tofacitinib (Xeljanz) is mainly prescribed to RA patients failing treatment with biologics, but as rheumatologists gain more experience with the agent’s safety profile, tofacitinib and emerging Jak inhibitors, such as baricitinib, could increasingly be used in earlier lines of therapy. This report offers a detailed analysis and an annualized ten-year forecast of the RA therapy market in the major pharmaceutical markets during the 2014-2024 study period.
