Novel oral anticoagulants will drive venous thromboembolism market to nearly double by 2018

The launches and widespread uptake of novel oral anticoagulants will drive the venous thromboembolism drug market to nearly double from $2.9 billion in 2008 to more than $5 billion in 2018 in the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan, suggests advisory firm Decision Resources.

The Pharmacor 2010 findings from the topic entitled Venous Thromboembolism reveal that the dominance that low-molecular-weight heparins have held in the venous thromboembolism drug market will be severely reduced over the next decade, following the introduction and deep market penetration of several novel oral agents. Sales of the leading low-molecular-weight heparin, Sanofi-Aventis's Lovenox (enoxaparin), will also be affected by the launch of generic versions of the drug, beginning in 2010.

Until recently, vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin (Bristol-Myers Squibb's Coumadin, generics) were the only oral anticoagulants available. The novel oral agents that are expected to launch through 2018 will offer significant advantages over this class of drugs. Most notably, Bayer/Ortho-McNeil's Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer's apixaban and Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) will not require patient monitoring or dose adjustment.

Xarelto set to be most successful