Neuropathic Pain Drug Market Will Increase From $6 Billion in 2008 to $9.7 Billion in 2018

Market Growth Will be Driven by Novel Drugs from NeurogesX/Astellas, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson/Grunenthal, Durect/King Pharmaceuticals and UCB, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the neuropathic pain drug market -- driven by the launches of several novel therapies -- will increase from $6 billion in 2008 to $9.7 billion in 2018 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

The new Pharmacor report entitled Neuropathic Pain finds that, among the novel therapies that will launch in the next several years, NeurogesX/Astellas' Qutenza will be the most successful. Owing to its long-term efficacy for localized peripheral neuropathic pain and minimal risk of systemic side-effects, Qutenza will garner sales of nearly $700 million in 2018. The market will also be driven by the launches and uptake of Pfizer's tanezumab, Johnson & Johnson/Grunenthal's Nucynta ER, UCB's Vimpat and Durect/King Pharmaceuticals' Eladur.

"Although none of the emerging therapies will displace key first-line therapies, many will offer new mechanisms of action and improved side-effect profiles when compared to currently-marketed agents," said Decision Resources Analyst Sami Fam, Ph.D. "In a market where first-line therapies fail in nearly 50 percent of patients, these novel emerging therapies for neuropathic pain will find success as alternatives to established agents."

The report also finds that the increased uptake of branded therapies such as Pfizer's Lyrica, Eli Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim's Cymbalta/Xeristar and the 5 percent lidocaine patch (Endo/Elan's Lidoderm and Grunenthal's Versatis) will also drive market growth. The availability of these agents in new markets, combined with the therapeutic advantages that they offer over older and generically-available competitors, will drive their increased use as first-line therapies.

According to the report, the largest segments of the neuropathic pain market in 2008 were neuropathic back pain (46 percent), painful diabetic neuropathy (12 percent), post-trauma postsurgical neuropathic pain (12 percent) and neuropathic cancer pain (10 percent).

Veelbelovend? 

Dat klinkt veelbelovend. Maar we moeten ons realiseren dat Qutenza niets anders is dan een hoog geconcentreerd capsaicine-extract in een pleister, dat is dus een heel oude stof. Alleen de wijze van toedienen is anders, en de concentratie van capsaicine is zo ongeveer 10 maal hoger dan in de creme die wij vaak voorschrijven. Of die pleister dan ook daadwerkelijk voordelen biedt boven de creme dat is nog de vraag.

Pentadol: een opiaat en Quetenza, capsaicine.. 

De stof van Gruenentahl, Nucynta, onder de generische naam pentadol, is een nieuw opiaat, dat vermoedelijk enkele voordelen gaat bieden, zoals minder bijwerkingen dan bijvoorbeeld oxycodon.  En Tanezumab is een monoclonaal antilichaam tegen de zenuwgroeifactor, en de betekenis voor pijnstilling, daar zullen we op moeten wachten.

November 2009, prof.dr. Jan M. Keppel Hesselink