Arrowhead Publishers Releases New Report Analyzing the Global Cancer...

According to Arrowhead Publishers's new report entitled Cancer Therapeutics: Market Insight and R's38;D Pipeline Analysis (http://www.arrowheadpublishers.com/reports/oncology/cancer-therapeutics-2008/), the world market for the leading six cancer therapy markets (including lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia and non-Hodgkin'ss lymphoma) was valued at $34.8 billion with a growth rate increase of 20 percent from 2006 and a CAGR of 26 percent over the preceding five years.

The overall economic cost of cancer is staggering. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates overall costs of cancer in the U.S. in 2006 at $206.3 billion with $78.2 billion in direct medical costs. Further, the WHO predicts that global cases of cancer will rise to 15 million new cases by 2020, an increase of 50% over 2005'ss rate. These staggering numbers indicate the importance of effective therapies in treating this epidemic. There is today still a strong need for therapies that do the following:

> more specifically target cancer cells

> extend progression-free survival rates

> provide patients with metastatic cancer better treatment options

Cancer Therapeutics: Market Insight and R's38;D Pipeline Analysis analyzes the cancer therapy market, by product, class, cancer type, region/country and company. This report also includes SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for key products on the market as well as for key emerging products; a thorough overview of treatment regimens for various cancers, including detailed information and analysis of first-line, second-line and third-line treatment options; financial forecasts, by individual cancer therapy and cancer type; and thorough descriptions and analysis of important areas of research and development in cancer therapeutics.

Key Findings

By revenue, the four major cancer drugs by type are cytotoxics, monoclonal antibodies, hormonal therapies and aromatase inhibitors. The latter two drug types are used exclusively in the treatment of prostate and breast cancers.

In 2007, cytotoxics earned $13.7 billion and monoclonal antibodies $13.6 billion, while in the same year hormonals and aromatase inhibitors generated revenues of $4.2 billion and $3.3 billion respectively. The monoclonal class increased its market share by a strong 3.2 percent, or $3 billion in one year. It is likely that this drug class will increase its revenue and market share further to eventually become the dominant drug class in terms of revenue in the global cancer market. The largest number of prescriptions written for the treatment of cancer, however, are still for cytotoxics.

In 2007, the colorectal cancer therapy market accounted for 25.7 percent of the overall cancer therapy market, making it the largest segment within this therapeutic category. The search for effective combination therapies and the potential for biologic monotherapies will be the primary drivers of this market during the next five years. Biologics will continue to shape the market over the next decade. Vaccines, angiogenesis inhibitors, and other targeted therapies currently dominate the R's38;D pipeline for colorectal cancer.

Hormone therapies continue to dominate the prostate cancer therapy market, as they have proven to be the most effective at treating later-stage prostate cancer and are usually second in line to radiation therapy for patients with locally-advanced disease. Unlike the market for colorectal cancer therapies, this market has grown more gradually, mostly due to a lack of a major new class of drugs such as monoclonal antibodies, which have shaken up the colorectal market. As is the case with the future of colorectal cancer treatment, combination therapies will have a strong impact on the future of prostate cancer therapy. Not only vaccines, but monoclonal antibodies, angiogenesis inhibitors, antisense products, and signal transduction inhibitors will all vie for market share in this area in the decade to come. Another strong driver of this market will be an increase in the number of patients due to the aging of the American and European populations.

The market for the pharmaceutical treatment of lung cancer is still largely dominated by cytotoxics in 2008, although targeted therapies are beginning to make an impact. Taxotere dominates the lung cancer market with revenues in 2007 of $2.6 billion and a growth of nearly 20 percent from the previous year. The two most important recent additions to the therapeutic picture are Tarceva and Alimta, which were both approved in the US in 2004. While cytotoxics are beginning to share the spotlight with targeted therapies, their continued use in lung cancer treatment is not in doubt. Until trials can prove the efficacy of targeted drugs as monotherapy in first-line treatment, cytotoxics such as carboplatin, cisplatin, paclitaxel, docetaxel (Taxotere) and gemcitabine (Gemzar) will continue to play leading roles in standard, first-line therapeutic regimens.

The breast cancer market is the most vibrant and dynamic of the four major cancer markets. Patients are today benefitting from a range of treatment options, depending on the type and stage of their cancer. In 2007, the biggest earner, Herceptin, generated revenues of slightly over $4 billion, taking a massive market share of 54 percent. In the hormal market, Arimidex should retain a commanding share of the market in coming years, unless other hormonal therapies can prove superior efficacy in clinical trials. Aromatase inhibitors have played a large part in the growth of this market.

The markets for leukemia and non-Hodgins Lymphona (NHL) are dominated by single drugs. In the case of leukemia it is Gleevec and for NHL it is Rituxan. Gleevec is the standard first line treatment for leukemia and has proven to be quite effective in the treatment of leukemia. Arrowhead estimates that the future market will be dominated by Gleevec and by drugs such as Sprycel, which treat non-responders to Gleevec. These two drugs will control the market and drive its growth. The principal drug in use for NHL is the monoclonal antibody Rituxan. This is the most successful monoclonal antibody in use in cancer therapy and in 2007 it generated revenues of over $4.6 billion with a growth rate of 19 percent from the previous year. The challenge for any new entrant to this market will be to demonstrate better clinical outcomes than Rituxan, but realistically, the goal will most likely to demonstrate improved clinical outcomes when utilized in combination with Rituxan.

For more information about this report, including pricing information and ordering instructions, visit http://www.arrowheadpublishers.com or call us at 1-312-244-3703.

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