Monoclonal Antibodies Market for Breast Cancer to More than Double by 2019, but Unmet Need Still to be Fulfilled

Monday 25 November 2013, Amsterdam

The market value for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in breast cancer treatment will experience a massive increase from $4.8 billion in 2012 to $10.9 billion in 2019, demonstrating a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.2%, according to a new report.

The company’s latest report* states that this double-digit increase will be driven mainly by the uptake of two recent approvals, Perjeta and Kadcyla, along with the rapid year-on-year growth in specialty pharmaceuticals in the US, which boasts the largest regional market for breast cancer treatment.

Roche is currently the dominant player within this market, with a franchise of drugs (including the blockbuster Herceptin) that target the Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor-2 (HER- 2), which is overexpressed in 20-25% of breast cancer patients.

However, as there are currently no effective mAbs for patients who do not overexpress this protein, a strong unmet need remains in this area, particularly in patients with the metastatic form of the disease.

Dominic Trewartha, an Analyst, says: “For the majority of patients diagnosed in the early stages of breast cancer, survival rates are high, ranging from 80% to almost 100%. However, stage IV breast cancer is incurable, as with all other forms of metastatic cancer, so the primary treatment goal is limited to effective tumor remission over an extended period of time.

“While chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy are able to improve outcomes to an extent, mAb products that are currently available in the market are far more effective and safe than chemotherapy in this regard, affording a superior standard of care in suitable patients. The development of these products to provide greater survival benefits to patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer is therefore an obvious goal.”

According to analysts, a realistic next step in terms of manufacturing novel mAb products would be to build on the benefit provided by the current range of marketed products and improve survival times further, with fewer side-effects.

“As 75% of the patient population is currently unable to benefit from mAb therapies, a new market entrant that is not specifically indicated for HER-2 positive cancers would face little competition. This therefore presents a very strong commercial opportunity for drug developers within this particular market segment,” the analyst concludes.