New Drug Treatments Required for Dry Mouth as Patents Expire

Friday 27 July 2012, Amsterdam

New drug treatments are needed to combat xerostomia, or dry mouth, if the related global therapeutics market is to endure the patent expiries expected during the decade, the new Xerostomia Therapeutics - Pipeline Assessment and Market Forecasts to 2019 report has found.

The report found that patients suffering from dry mouth due to an underproduction of saliva, as a result of Sjogren’s syndrome or radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, may not see any improvements in their treatment until the following decade. This, together with the expected expiry of two of the three drug treatments available, could spell bad news for the market.

Only three drugs are currently available to treat xerostomia. Evoxac (cevimeline/Daiichi Sankyo) is approved in the US and Japan to treat xerostomia associated with Sjogren’s syndrome, while Ethyol (amifostine/MedImmune) is approved in the US and Europe for xerostomia associated with radiation therapy. Pilocarpine is an approved generic drug prescribed to both patient groups.

While these drugs are widely used in the treatment of dry mouth, they are all associated with adverse effects such as sweating, headaches, nausea and vomiting, and are also expensive for clinicians to prescribe. With no alternatives available, the market shows high dependence on these three drugs, two of which will reach patent expiry within the next few years, leading to the erosion of future market valuations.

This assessment of the market therefore implies that the xerostomia therapeutics market requires new pharmalogical treatment options which exhibit superior safety and efficacy. However, its research indicates an absence of late-stage pipeline drugs, as the three pipeline drugs are all in Phase II of clinical development, implying that they will not enter the market by 2019.

The xerostomia therapeutics market registered a positive growth during 2006-2011 at an approximate Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. This can be primarily attributed to the rising prevalence of head and neck cancer patients subjected to radiation therapy, the rising number of patients suffering from Sjogren’s syndrome, and the continued usage of highly-priced drugs Evoxac and Ethyol.

In contrast, this research estimates that the market will decline in the future at a negative CAGR of around 1%, from $293m in 2011 to $270m in 2019. Evoxac and Ethyol are due for patent expiry in 2013 and 2017 respectively, which accounts for the anticipated market decline in xerostomia therapeutics despite increasing patient prevalence expected throughout this period.

The report is an essential source of insight into global xerostomia therapeutics, providing actionable analysis on the key trends affecting the market, including pipeline products. The report also provides insights into the prevalent competitive landscape and key players expected to significantly alter the market positioning of the current market leaders. This report was built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis conducted by a team of industry experts.