For the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis, Abbott/Eisai's Humira Has Emerged as the Market Leader, Garnering Sales of More Than $500 Million in 2009

BURLINGTON, Mass., Nov. 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, Abbott/Eisai's Humira has emerged as the market leader, garnering sales of more than $500 million in 2009 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan. Despite Humira's later entry to the psoriatic arthritis market behind that of Amgen/Pfizer/Takeda's Enbrel, Humira captured more than 40 percent of market share last year, owing to its efficacy for joint and skin symptoms of psoriatic arthritis as well as its established safety profile and convenient delivery.

The Pharmacor 2010 findings from the topic entitled Psoriatic Arthritis which will be published later this month reveal that although methotrexate (Dava Pharmaceuticals' Rheumatrex, generics) was the patient share leader in 2009, sales of TNF-alpha inhibitors approved for the indication—most notably, Humira and Enbrel—accounted for an overwhelming majority of major-market sales in 2009. The dominance of sales of TNF-alpha inhibitors in this space is due to their price premium over conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and inexpensive generic versions of methotrexate.

The findings also reveal that Centocor Ortho Biotech/Merck/Mitsubishi Tanabe/Janssen's Simponi, the most recent drug to receive approval for the indication in the U.S. and Europe, will garner sales of just over $200 million in 2019.

"Despite its dosing advantages over other TNF-alpha inhibitors, Simponi's use is currently reserved for patients who have failed two or three other agents in this drug class," said Decision Resources Analyst Dancella Fernandes, Ph.D. "We expect increased uptake and earlier-line use of golimumab will drive sales of this agent."

Emerging biologics that are expected to be approved for the indication through 2019—UCB/Otsuka's Cimzia and Centocor Ortho Biotech/Janssen-Cilag's Stelara—will contribute only modestly to expansion of the psoriatic arthritis market. Cimzia is not perceived as having any competitive advantages over approved TNF-alpha inhibitors and, because Stelara's efficacy in treating signs and symptoms of joint manifestations is perceived to be lower than that of the TNF-alpha inhibitors and its efficacy for inhibiting radiographic progression is unknown, the drug is also likely to be prescribed as a later-line biologic for psoriatic arthritis.

About Pharmacor 2010

The newly redesigned Pharmacor advisory service offers clients in the biopharmaceutical industry the most up-to-date information available on commercially significant disease topics.

About Decision Resources

Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

About Decision Resources, Inc.

Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at www.DecisionResourcesInc.com.

All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Decision Resources

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