Gilead’s Sovaldi set to claim Humira’s crown as top-selling drug in 2020

Having achieved the biggest drug launch to date by generating an astonishing $2.3 billion in its first full quarter on the market, US antivirals giant Gilead Sciences’ (Nasdaq: GILD) Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) looks set to continue setting records, according to an new study by the Evaluate Group, reported by its EP Vantage unit.

Also appearing in the top 15 blockbuster potentials expected by the analysts were several hugely successful pharma brands, including Sanofi’s (Euronext: SAN) insulin Lantus, (insulin glargine), Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) type 2 diabetes treatment Januvia (sitagliptin), and Bayer’s (BAYN: DE) oral blood thinner Xarelto (rivaroxaban).

The analysts reckon that Gilead’s hepatitis C treatment, which has come in for a load of criticism for its extremely high price (The Pharma letters passim), will be the biggest-selling drug in the world in 2020, with sales of $13.1 billion, new data from EvaluatePharma reveal. It will claim the crown from AbbVie’s (NYSE: ABBV) rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira (adalimumab), although this RA therapy is itself forecast to remain a huge product, with $12.6 billion in revenues that year.