New report debunks some common perceptions of R&D productivity

8 September 2014

The 2014 edition of the Thomson Reuters CMR Pharmaceutical R&D Factbook, published today, contains some surprising findings that debunk the commonly-held perception that R&D productivity is in decline.

The following are some of the key findings:

Global pharma sales soar: Global pharmaceutical sales reached an all-time high of around $980 billion in 2013 and are expected to rise to $1 trillion this year. However, the rate of growth declined in 2013 compared to previous years due to the expiration of patent protection on a number of blockbuster drugs in markets dominated by lower-cost generic equivalents.

Global New Molecular Entity launches – more than meets the eye: Contrary to the gloomy trend Food and Drug Administration NME approval data has projected over the past year, the number of NME first world launches in 2013 was the third-highest in the last decade, underscoring the industry’s focus on developing brand new entities on a global scale. About half of all of these drugs were specialty indicated for the treatment of cancer, pulmonary arterial hypertension and HIV. All oncology NME first-world launches in 2013 received orphan drug status.
Cancer treatment benefits from advances in precision medicine: Anti-cancer development continues to attract the highest amount of investment across all therapeutic areas, with the majority of recent approvals receiving orphan drug status from the FDA: All first-world oncology drugs launched in 2013 received orphan drug status.
By failing “fast and cheaply,” success rates rise: There has been a decline in pipeline volumes and success rates in early clinical development phases, yet there is a trend in stable success rates across the later phases. This indicates that the industry is recognizing drugs that won’t be successful early in the development process, which is increasing the success rate of more advanced drug candidates.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK

More ones to watch >