Monoclonal Antibodies Market for Colorectal Cancer to Witness Moderate Growth

Monday 6 January 2014, Amsterdam

The market value for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in colorectal cancer treatment will experience a moderate increase from $3.7 billion in 2012 to $5.2 billion by 2019, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5%, according to a new report.

The company’s latest report states that this moderate growth is due to the slow rise of the prevalent population and weakness of the late-stage pipeline. Currently, there is only one mAb product in Phase III development for the treatment of colorectal cancer, named IMC-1121B.

Dominic Trewartha, an Analyst says: “The efficacy of this drug has not yet been proven in large-scale, placebo-controlled Phase III trials, which creates an element of uncertainty in terms of the outcome of these products. As such, this weak late-stage pipeline is not expected to drive market growth to a significant extent during the forecast period.”

The current metastatic colorectal cancer market is dominated by three mAbs— Avastin, Erbitux and Vectibix — which are far more efficacious than the targeted small molecule therapies also marketed for this setting. Therefore, analysts believe there is a strong opportunity for the entry of new mAbs into the market, as long as they prove superior efficacy when compared to Avastin.

Trewartha says: “A product that can attain first-line status in the treatment of colorectal cancer, or even second-line status by displacing Erbitux and Vectibix, would have access to a considerable patient population and be able to generate a substantial amount of revenue.

“Furthermore, there are currently no approved mAbs in the early-stage setting for colorectal cancer, reflecting an additional opportunity for the development of new products,” the analyst concludes.