How will the UC market landscape change from 2016–2026?
Major drivers of growth in the UC market over the forecast period will include an increase in disease prevalence in 6 of the 7 major markets, higher treatment rates, the approval and launch of 10 pipeline products, and the high unmet need for novel oral therapies.
Key opinion leaders interviewed by GlobalData discussed a need for novel oral therapies in the UC space. At present, only one oral therapy has been approved in the US: Pfizer’s first-in-class Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, Xeljanz (Tofacitinib). Xeljanz is likely to receive approval in both Japan and Europe, and GlobalData expects that there will be four more oral therapies approved over the next 5 years.
Despite this, opportunity still exists in the market. Oral therapies are favoured over other routes of administration due to the ease of administration. Yet, all therapies currently under development have their particular weaknesses with regards to safety and speed of action. Additionally, there are no new oral MOAs for severe-to-fulminant UC patients, which creates further opportunity for pharmaceutical companies.