Through 2022, growth in the neuropathic pain drug market will be constrained by generics

The loss of US and European market exclusivity of three sales-leading neuropathic pain (NP) agents - Eli Lilly/Shionogi’s Cymbalta/Xeristar (duloxetine), Endo/Grunenthal’s Lidoderm/Versatis (lidocaine patch 5%) and Pfizer’s Lyrica (pregabalin) - combined with a lack of transformative emerging therapies forecasted to launch specifically for NP, will contribute to a slight market decline during the 2012-2022 study period.

Nevertheless, according to a report from health care advisory firm Decision Resources, the launch of several high priced, branded agents that will experience uptake in niche populations within the NP market will help to counterbalance some of the sales lost to generic erosion. Consequently, in the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan, combined NP market sales will decrease from $6.3 billion in 2012 to less than $6 billion in 2022.

The Pharmacor report, titled Neuropathic Pain, also reveals that neuropathic back pain continues to account for the largest segment of the NP market - over 40% market share in 2012. Other segments with notable market share include painful diabetic neuropathy and postsurgical/post-traumatic NP. Postherpetic neuralgia, neuropathic cancer pain and central NP are among the more active areas of NP drug development; however, they represented much smaller segments of the overall NP market in 2012.

Greatest unmet need is better understanding of pathophysiology

The report also finds that one of the greatest unmet needs in NP is a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease. Interviewed thought leaders note that existing knowledge gaps hamper both current medical practice and drug development, according to the report.

“Neuropathic pain has and will continue to be characterized by significant heterogeneity in its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, patient presentation of symptoms and patient responsiveness to therapy,” said Decision Resources’ principal business insights analyst Andrea Buurma. “Greater knowledge of the pathological mechanisms that underlie neuropathic pain could lead to the identification of better drug targets and ultimately more-efficacious drug treatments. However, the recent failures of several promising agents in the late-stage pipeline, that were believed to act on mechanisms underlying pain, emphasize the challenge of developing drugs for this indication,” she noted.