Eylea Will Dominate The Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration Market Until 2018, When Its Share Will Become Threatened By Emerging Products

Burlington, MA /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources Group finds that over the next ten years, the market for late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) therapies will become fragmented as additional branded vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors and biosimilar products launch for wet AMD. Regeneron/Bayer/Santen's Eylea (aflibercept), the current patient and market share leader for wet AMD in the seven major pharmaceutical markets, is expected to lose ground to new products that offer extended dosing duration or lower cost compared with current therapies.

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Other key findings from the Disease Landscape & Forecast report entitled Dry and Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration:

• The total AMD market (including wet AMD and geographic atrophy [GA]) is expected to grow from approximately $4.2 billion in 2016 to more than $7.2 billion in 2026. The expected launch and uptake of less-frequently dosed VEGF inhibitors (Novartis's RTH-258 [brolucizumab] and Allergan's abicipar pegol) will increase sales of this drug class, despite the launch of biosimilars in the second half of the forecast period, due to the high level of unmet need in this market for therapies with less-frequent dosing intervals than those currently offered by Eylea and Roche/Genentech/Novartis's Lucentis.
• With the launch of the first-to-market therapy for GA—Roche/Genentech's lampalizumab—a previously untreated patient population will emerge onto the AMD landscape, thus driving market expansion as observed in the wet AMD market following the launch of effective therapies.
• The introduction and uptake of biosimilars of Lucentis and Eylea are expected in the second half of the 2016-2026 forecast period. Given the anticipated continued dominance of VEGF inhibitors in wet AMD, the launch of biosimilar products is expected to impact market growth as the proportion of patients who are treated with branded products decreases.

Comments from Decision Resources Group Analyst Natalie Taylor, Ph.D.:

• "DRG's primary market research indicates that some ophthalmologists have a positive perception of Eylea due to perceived advantages over other VEGF inhibitors on dosing frequency and efficacy, which have contributed to its strong uptake and use in the G7 since its launch."
• "The wet AMD treatment burden remains a substantial unmet need in AMD given that current treatment with VEGF inhibitors necessitates frequent—up to monthly—intravitreal (IVT) injections. The fulfillment of this need could be achieved with new IVT therapies offering longer dosing intervals, thus requiring fewer injections overall."
• "Complement system inhibitors dominate the pipeline for GA, with lampalizumab, an inhibitor of complement factor D administered via IVT injections, being at the most advanced phase of development. A treatment for GA would be welcomed by physicians and patients as currently there are few therapeutic options for these patients. Additionally, Ophthotech's Zimura—a C5 inhibitor—is in Phase II/III development for GA and we continue to watch it closely."

Additional Resources:

• Natalie Taylor, Ph.D. has written a blog about the impact of RTH-258 on the wet AMD market following the release of topline data from RTH-258's Phase III trials, which can be found here:
• http://bit.ly/2vgZqC4

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