Biogen's SMA drug Spinraza under threat from current late-stage pipeline drugs

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a disease that causes motor neuron degeneration in the spinal cord and brainstem. The rarity of the disease has meant that the rate of drug development in this field has been slow.

However, currently different pipeline products in Phase III hold the potential to pose a considerable threat to the only marketed drug, Biogen’s (Nasdaq: BIIB) Spinraza (nusinersen), says data and analytics company GlobalData. Spinraza generated global sales of $1.72 billion in full-year 2018.

According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center, there are currently 10 products in pipeline development (Phases I–III).