Most promising drugs of 2015 identified in new report

Compared with 2014, there are more potential blockbusters expected to enter the market this year. The majority of them are forecast to have 2019 sales of between $1 billion and $3 billion, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters, which utilized its Cortellis Competitive Intelligence platform to make the forecasts.

The study reveals a significant increase in the number of expected blockbusters from three drugs in 2014 to eleven in 2015. Three drugs are set to exceed this, with the following 2019 sales forecasts: Bristol-Myers Squibb’s ((NYSE: BMY) melanoma drug Opdivo (nivolumab) at $5.684 billion; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: REGN) and Sanofi’s (Euronext: SAN) Praluent (alirocumab) for hypercholesterolemia at $4.414 billion; and Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) LCZ-696 (sacubitril and valsartan) for chronic heart failure at $3.731 billion, the annual report of Drugs to Watch in 2015..

Key trends to watch in 2015 are the rise of immuno-oncology approaches for treating cancer, the race to be the next big cholesterol drug, the entry of a first-in-class heart failure drug, and the entry of more convenient all-oral regimes for hepatitis C virus (HCV).