Marketing exclusivity for first-in-class drugs falls to 2.5 years, Tufts study finds

Marketing exclusivity periods for first-in-class drugs have fallen dramatically in recent decades-from a median of 10.2 years in the 1970s to 2.5 years in the early part of this decade-underscoring the competitive nature of drug development, a new study recently completed by the USA's Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development has found.

According to the study, the average time between first and second follow-on drugs fell even more rapidly - from a median of 16.1 years in the 1960s to 1.1 years in the 2000-03 period.

"Since the early 1990s, nearly one in three follow-on drugs entered clinical testing earlier than did the first-in-class drug," said Tufts CSDD Director of Economic Analysis and study author Joseph DiMasi, noting that "distinctions about innovativeness drawn between first-in-class and follow-on drugs may not be meaningful."