RA pipeline drugs unlikely to address unmet needs by 2025, says report

Unmet needs in the rheumatoid arthritis space, which is set to reach a value of $28.5 billion by 2025, are not expected to be directly addressed by pipeline agents over the next few years, a new report finds.

According to research and consulting firm GlobalData’s latest report, the disease is effectively treated by currently available options, and upon launch, pipeline agents will compete for the same patient populations. Although drugs with novel mechanisms of action are welcome additions to the market, the real challenge will be to determine where these drugs fit into the treatment paradigm.

Kavita Rainova, senior healthcare analyst at GlobalData, explains: “Unmet needs, including the need for personalized treatments and earlier diagnosis, are likely to be met through initiatives and research efforts to understand the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis, and through the development of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for the disease. While research in this area is underway, it is expected that individualized medicine will still be in its beginning stages by the end of the forecast period in 2025.”