Obesity Therapeutics to 2019 - Safety Concerns Hinder Drug Performance Despite Large Market Opportunity

Thursday 12 September 2013, Amsterdam

Obesity Therapeutics to 2019 - Safety Concerns Hinder Drug Performance Despite Large Market Opportunity
The Obesity Therapeutics Market has Few Candidates in Late-stage Development, Limiting Market Growth

Only 3% of the developmental pipeline is currently in the late stages of development, with only one drug candidate in Pre-registration and two in Phase III. This therefore limits the number of drugs with the potential to be approved during the forecast period and subsequently the potential for
market growth. Over two thirds of the pipeline molecules (67%) are in the discovery or Preregistration Phases of development, suggesting a recent surge in interest in anti-obesity drugs. This may be a reflection of the continued increase in the prevalence of obesity and a need for
additional treatment to the currently favored option of lifestyle modification, through dieting and increased exercise.

The Growth of the Anti-obesity Drugs Market is Restricted by High Attrition Rates

The successful transition of anti-obesity drugs from Phase I to market is very difficult. The development of more than 80% of products is terminated before reaching Pre-registration. This may contribute to the low number of drug candidates seen at the later stages of the developmental
pipeline above figure. Furthermore, previously approved drugs, including Sanofi-Aventis’ Acomplia (rimonabant) and Knoll Pharmaceutical’s/Abbott Laboratories’ Meridia (sibutramine), were withdrawn from the market in 2008 and 2010 respectively due to the emergence of serious side
effects post-marketing, such as severe depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and cardiovascular complications, including heart failure. This has resulted in a stagnant anti-obesity market over the past decade, with only orlistat being proven safe as a long-term treatment for obesity (Figure 1).

Recently Approved Product Expected to Drive Obesity Market

The global prevalence of obesity and overweight (anti-obesity medication is also indicated for patients who are overweight with comorbidities) is very high, with a minimum of 20% of the population falling into this category in the countries covered in this report (US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan), rising to a maximum of 45%. Despite this, a very small percentage of patients known to healthcare professionals to be obese are treated with pharmacotherapy. This may be a result of several factors, such as the limited efficacy of currently available drugs and the general unfavorable opinion of healthcare professionals and patients of anti-obesity drugs due to side effects and multiple withdrawals following negative post-marketing safety studies. The current market, which is dominated by off-patent orlistat products, is expected to grow at a modest Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20.7% from approximately $750m in 2012 to approximately $2.6 billion in 2019. This growth is mostly attributed to the performance of the recently approved Qsymia, which is superior in terms of efficacy to the current best option for the long-term treatment of obesity, namely orlistat, and to any of the late-stage pipeline drugs. It is currently undergoing post-marketing studies to determine its long-term cardiovascular safety
Obesity Therapeutics to 2019 - Safety Concerns Hinder Drug Performance Despite Large Market Opportunity

Obesity Therapeutics to 2019 - Safety Concerns Hinder Drug Performance Despite Large Market Opportunity

Publish date : August 2013
Report code : ASDR-75030
Pages : 93

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