Growth factors for China's non-small cell lung cancer drug market

The number of diagnosed incident cases of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in urban China will increase 5% annually between 2011 and 2016, says a new report from advisory firm Decision Resources.

This increase is due mainly to population aging in China and the continuous urbanization over the 2011-2016 study period. Additionally, according to Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in China, the drug-treated patient population will expand from 2011 to 2016 as drug-treatment rates among NSCLC patients increase in both rural and urban regions. These factors will contribute to China’s NSCLC drug market growing from about $500 million in 2011 to more than $860 million in 2016.

The analysis also finds that changes in medical practice, specifically personalized medicine, will contribute to drug market growth as such an approach would optimize spending on premium-priced agents.