New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) New expensive but disease-modifying treatments are expected to foster Alzheimer’s disease market growth globally, according to a report.
The report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company, showed that the growth will particularly be visible in eight major markets — US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, and China.
The report forecasted that the Alzheimer’s disease market in these countries to grow from $2.4 billion in 2023 to $19.3 billion by 2033 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.4 per cent.
This will be primarily driven by the entry of expensive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) into the market, which will likely result in increased treatment rates as more options become available. An ageing global population leading to an increase in prevalent cases, and the launch of novel symptomatic therapies for the treatment of agitation and psychosis associated with Alzheimer’s disease will also contribute to the growth.
By 2033, DMTs are expected to dominate the global Alzheimer’s disease market, contributing 73.5 per cent of the market, with drugs targeting amyloid beta making up the majority of this, the report said.
Philippa Salter, Managing Neurology Analyst at GlobalData, said that Eisai/Biogen’s Leqembi (lecanemab) and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla (donanemab) will become the top-selling drugs for Alzheimer’s, and “will generate global sales of approximately $3.6 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively, by 2033”.
The report also noted barriers for these DMTs, which will limit their integration into clinical practice. Frequent IV administration and access to positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are key economic and operational limiting factors for access to these drugs.
“In addition to logistical factors, these new DMTs are significantly more expensive than the current highly genericised symptomatic treatments used in the management of AD, providing a further access challenge in the form of reimbursement/payer restrictions,” Salter said
To counter these, drugmakers are probing alternative routes of administration. Several oral late-stage products in the pipeline can enable easier integration into clinical practice.
These include Anavex Life Sciences’ ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine), TauRx Therapeutics’ LMTX (hydromethylthionine mesylate), and Novo Nordisk’s NN-6535 (semaglutide).
The new DMTs are only considered moderately effective, so significant opportunity remains for more effective DMTs that do not just slow progression but also stop the disease, with prevention being the end goal.
Beyond DMTS, drugs that can effectively improve cognition in the late stages of the disease, as well as more effective options for secondary symptoms such as agitation and psychosis, also provide opportunities for developers.
–IANS
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