New Serogroup B Vaccines to Claim Half of Meningococcal Vaccines Market by 2022

Tuesday 25 February 2014, Amsterdam

Upcoming and long-awaited market entries for Novartis’ Bexsero and Pfizer’s MnB rLP2086 will prompt significant growth in the meningococcal vaccines market over the next decade.

According to the firm’s latest report, the arrival of these eagerly awaited serogroup B vaccine will drive combined revenue for meningococcal vaccines across the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, Australia, and Brazil, from $1.2bn in 2012 to just over $2bn in 2022, increasing by 65%.

Novartis’ Bexsero, which received approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in January, is forecast to produce global sales of over $330m by 2022, while Pfizer’s MnB rLP2086, which is expected to launch in the US in 2017 and in the EU the following year, is forecast to reach total revenue of over $700m by 2022. Combined, these two products are expected to dominate the meningococcal vaccines market by the end of the forecast period, accounting for a 52% share.

According to Dr Christopher Pace, the analyst covering infectious disease: “Despite legitimate concerns from policymakers regarding the cost-effectiveness of adding an additional vaccine to already-crowded immunization schedules, serogroup B incorporation will be well received by prescribers and patients, alike.  

“We expect Novartis and Pfizer to dominate this segment of the market, with their respective products responsible for the majority of global market growth over the next decade.”

the new report states that the cost-effectiveness of meningococcal vaccines is a universal barrier to global market growth, with the inherently high cost per dose and relatively low incidence rates of meningococcal disease leading to increased government skepticism in the face of new vaccine launches and immunization program expansions.  

Dr Pace believes that while these concerns are not expected to significantly prohibit the adoption of serogroup B vaccines, such as Bexsero and MnB rLP2086, government assessment of cost-effectiveness is considered to be a primary determinant of a vaccine’s commercial success.