Neuropathic pain - brighter future for pipeline drugs with market to double in value to $5.2 billion

The neuropathic pain market is forecast to more than double in value from 2008 to total $5.2 billion by 2018 across the seven major markets - the USA, Japan, and the five leading European Union (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK), according to a new report from Datamonitor. Although the USA will provide the greatest increase in value over this period, Japan and the five EU markets will post double-digit compound annual growth rates.

Highlights of this report show that:

' Eli Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim's Cymbalta (duloxetine) will continue to struggle to make inroads in this market. Despite publication of favorable meta-analysis data in February 2009 and the possibility of a chronic pain label, Datamonitor has substantially downgraded its neuropathic pain forecast for Cymbalta.