MUSCULOSKELETAL MARKET TO DECLINE

The world market for prescription musculoskeletal and joint disorder drugs was worth almost $6.5 billion in 1992, dominated by sales of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which made up $5.5 billion of the total, according to a report published by Datamonitor.

Traditionally, notes the Datamonitor report, the NSAID market has been both lucrative and attractive, targeting chronic users of drugs who are happy to swap between brands until they find one which suits them best. However, the market is now changing and will experience a slight decline to 1995, with a compound annual growth rate of -0.4%. This decline will in part be a consequence of the loss of patents for three of the top-selling drugs - Ciba's Voltaren (diclofenac), Syntex' Naprosyn (naproxen) and Pfizer's Feldene (piroxicam) - since generic sales will start to eat into their market shares.

Major NSAID Drugs Sales - 1992 And 1995 Forecasts Company Brand Generic '92 sales '95 sales ($m) ($m) Ciba Voltaren diclofenac 1,163 1,100 Syntex Naprosyn naproxen 1,003 550 Pfizer Feldene piroxicam 606 400 AHP Lodine etodolac 220 220 SB Relifex nabumetone 208 300 RPR Orudis ketoprofen 186 160 Sankyo Loxonin loxoprofen 180 300 Upjohn Ansaid flurbiprofen 150 100 Roche Tilcotil tenoxicam 143 215 Boots Brufen ibuprofen 115 100