Keywords: Biosimilars, Erythropoietin, Insulins, Decision Resources

Some 40% of G7 ESA markets to be biosimilars by 2020, and insulins to reach $1 billion, says DR report

Article | 30 October 2011

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By 2020, biosimilar versions of erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESAs) will garner 40% market share for the drug class in the G7 markets (USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan).

According to a new analysis from Decision Resources’ Biosimilars Advisory Service, competitive pricing and fairly aggressive uptake by US nephrologists will propel biosimilar ESAs to have the second-highest market share of any of the biosimilar drug classes to be on the market. ESAs are second only to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) therapies in anticipated market share in the G7 markets.

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Analysis in Biosimilars Advisory Service: Physician Perspectives on Erythropoietin
Stimulating Agents, Insulin, and Human Growth Hormone also finds that the sales of biosimilar insulins are forecasted to reach more $1 billion in 2020. Market potential for biosimilar insulins will be restricted by the agents’ limited potential for discounting and endocrinologists’ restraint towards prescribing biosimilars.

Insulin production costs will limit biosimilars

“Despite the considerable commercial success of the branded insulin agents we cover in our analysis - almost $10 billion in sales in 2010 across the G7 - biosimilar versions of these agents will garner only a small portion of market share in 2020,” said Biosimilars Advisory Service director Andrew Merron.

He added: “The costs associated with insulin production will limit the extent to which manufacturers can discount their product. This absence of substantial cost-savings will especially affect uptake of biosimilar insulins among endocrinologists in the increasingly cost-conscious US market.”