US ANTITHROMBOSIS MARKET FORECASTS

The US market for anticoagulant and thrombolytic products will grow from around $700 million in 1993 to over $1.1 billion by 1998, according to a new study by Frost & Sullivan. Thrombolytic drugs are expected to pace this growth. The report notes that thrombolytics are becoming increasingly accepted by cardiologists, and are gaining approvals for new indications and increasingly penetrating existing markets.

"A veritable revolution has taken place," notes the report, "begun by Genentech's Activase (alteplase), in providing thrombolytic treatment in addition to anticoagulants for certain heart attack patients." Five agents have so far been approved in the USA and they have already overtaken anticoagulants in terms of market size.

F&S predicts that injectable anticoagulants will also see strong growth after many years of stability, with the emergence of new higher-priced products that promise more effective clot-prevention with less bleeding than heparin, the commodity-priced product that until now has garnered this entire $100 million market.