China's esophageal cancer drug market forecast to almost double, growing to $149 million in 2014

The Chinese market for esophageal cancer drugs will almost double, expanding from $75 million in 2009 to $149 million in 2014, according to a new report from advisory firm Decision Resources. The increase will be driven by improved access to medical care, a growing drug-treated population and a rising number of higher-income esophageal cancer patients driving the demand for more-efficacious agents.

The new Emerging Markets report, titled Esophageal Cancer in China, finds that the use of targeted therapies in esophageal cancer in China will increase as more results from clinical studies become available through 2014. Chinese oncologists report that the key targeted therapies they use to treat esophageal cancer are Shandong Simcere Medgenn's Endostar, a novel recombinant human endostatin, AstraZeneca's Iressa (gefitinib), and Roche's Tarceva (erlotinib).

"Additionally, through 2014, we expect that two other targeted therapies - Merck KGaA's Erbitux cetuximab and Roche's Avastin (bevacizumab) - will be used to treat esophageal cancer in China," said Jing Wu, noting, "however, uptake of both of these agents will be modest, and Erbitux will face generic competition beginning in 2014."