CMV therapeutic TAK-620 set to reach global sales of $7.1 million by 2027, says analyst

Following the publication of new Phase II data for Japanese pharma major Takeda’s (TYO: 4502) TAK-620 (maribavir) as a treatment for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in recipients of hematopoietic cell or solid organ transplant, GlobalData’s senior pharma analyst Paul Jeng has offered his perspective on the candidate.

Mr Jeng said: “TAK-620 performed favorably in virus clearance compared to the existing standard of care valganciclovir, supporting its potential to be the first new antiviral therapeutic for CMV to be approved in nearly two decades. However, the CMV therapeutics market is controlled by relatively cheap generic antivirals such as ganciclovir and valganciclovir, which are unlikely to lose existing patient share to TAK-620 due to established efficacy and physician familiarity. GlobalData projects global sales for TAK-620 to exceed $7 million by 2027, accounting for 3.2% of the overall CMV therapeutics market.

“There are nearly 5,000 cases of CMV infections in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell or solid organ transplant in the seven major markets (7MM; USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and Japan) each year. TAK-620 is expected to fill a small but important role in treating those patients whose infections are relapsed or resistant to existing antivirals.