Head and neck cancer market will quadruple to $1.53 billion by 2024; Report

The treatment market for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (head and neck cancer) will expand almost fourfold from $386 million in 2014 to $1.53 billion by 2024, representing a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.8%, new research shows.

According to research and consulting firm GlobalData’s latest report, this impressive growth, which will occur across the seven major markets (7MM) of the USA France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan, includes an increase in disease prevalence, and the launch of multiple premium-priced therapies for recurrent and metastatic disease. These will be led by immuno-oncology products including Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (NYSE: BMY) Opdivo (nivolumab) and Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda (pembrolizumab), which are anticipated to enter the head and neck cancer market in late 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Amy Yip, GlobalData’s analyst covering oncology, states that the release of new immuno-oncology agents, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors, has created much interest of late. Dr Yip explains: “Monoclonal antibodies targeting programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), including Opdivo, Keytruda, and durvalumab [from AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN)], have generated much excitement in the medical community, with their promising early data and good patient responses.”