Big Pharma bracing for record patent expiries, EvaluatePharma data reveals

A total of 13 US blockbusters will lose patent protection over the next two years, data from EvaluatePharma show, highlighting the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry in the coming years. With the reporting season in full swing it is no wonder that several big pharmaceutical company chief executives have warned of tough times ahead.

Key findings of the research show that:

• Drugs worth $15.3 billion face generic competition this year
• “At risk” sales will more than double to $33.2 billion by 2012, the biggest annual total on record
• $133 billion of branded drugs face patent expiry in next six years in the USA alone
• Pfizer will bear the brunt of patent cliff, with $11 billion of Lipitor (atorvastatin) sales at risk due to expiry later this year