Slow-down of European bipolar therapy market set for short-term slowdown

Patent expiry of key blockbuster atypical antipsychotic drugs is likely to cause a decline in growth of the European bipolar disorder therapeutics market until 2013. However, approval of new drugs and improved depot formulations are expected to present growth opportunities from 2014 to 2018.

A new analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds that the market earned revenues of $1.20 billion in 2011 and estimates this to reach around $1.22 billion in 2018, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.2%.

Patent expiry of several key blockbuster atypical antipsychotics, including Seroquel (quetiapine) from AstraZeneca, the only approved atypical antipsychotic for both bipolar mania and depression, is one of the key challenges for the market participants.