Atrial fibrillation market to double by 2020 before steep decline

The global market for atrial fibrillation treatment will more than double in value between 2013 and 2020, says research and consulting firm GlobalData.

Its 2013 value stood at $4.6 billion and is expected to hit peak sales of $9.4 billion in 2020. After this point, however, it is expected to decline to $5.7 billion by 2023 as new oral anticoagulants become genericized.

The report states that these have seen substantial uptake since the launch of Pradaxa in 2010. The drugs accounted for approximately 70% of atrial fibrillation therapeutics sales in 2013. It anticipates that the increased adoption of NOACs will be the primary driver of market growth across the eight major markets, comprising of the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, and Canada, over the forecast period.