Non-small-cell lung cancer drug market to grow to over $6.5 billion in 2019

Sales of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drugs will increase from around $4 billion in 2009 to more than $6.5 billion in 2019 in the leading markets of the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and Japan, according to health care advisory firm Decision Resources.

The Pharmacor 2010 findings, titled Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, reveal that market growth will be driven by the increased uptake of Eli Lilly's Alimta (pemetrexed) and Genentech/OSI Pharmaceuticals/Roche/Chugai's Tarceva (erlotinib), as well as the launches of premium-priced emerging therapies which include Sanofi-Aventis's iniparib, Boehringer Ingelheim's BIBW-2992 and Pfizer's crizotinib.

In 2009, antimetabolites dominated the NSCLC market, with Alimta accounting for nearly three-quarters of sales within this drug class. Owing primarily to the generic erosion of Alimta and competition from emerging therapies, the market share of antimetabolites will decline. By 2019, the antimetabolites market share will be reduced to 24% making it the second-largest drug class in NSCLC, while the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor class will garner a market share of 26%.