Growing patient population to drive Mexican breast cancer market

An expanding patient population will largely contribute to the growth of the market for treating breast cancer in Mexico, according to a new report from health care advisory firm Decision Resources. The number of incident cases of breast cancer will increase by nearly 40% between 2011 and 2021, mainly due to increases in population size and aging.

According to the Emerging Markets report titled Breast Cancer in Mexico, growth will also be determined by the launches of several novel branded therapies by 2016, including Novartis' Afinitor everolimus), Eisai's Halaven (eribulin), Roche's Perjeta (pertuzumab) and Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine). Some of these agents will become the highest-priced drugs available for the treatment of CaB in Mexico, all of them contributing 24% to the total market in 2016.

Notably, Afinitor, representing a first-in-class mTOR inhibitor, was approved in Mexico in October 2012 for use in hormone-responsive HER2-negative patients after progression on aromatase inhibitors, and is expected to account for over 5% of Mexico's total breast cancer market. Additionally, following positive Phase III efficacy and safety data, Kadcyla received priority review from the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2012 to target advanced, HER2-positive breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane. Currently, Kadcyla has its PDUFA date set for late February 2013, which supports a potential launch in Mexico in 2014.