Global dermatology market set to reach $33.7 billion by 2022, despite patent expiries

Strong growth will be driven by a robust late-stage pipeline, including valuable targeted therapies such as dupilumab and ixekizumab, says GBI Research.

According to the company’s latest report — "Global Dermatology Market to 2022 — Innovative Pipeline and Increasing Uptake of Biologics to Diversify Treatment Options and Drive Strong Growth" — such an impressive rise will occur in spite of the patent expiries of many marketed monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs), which are unlikely to have a significant impact due to the practical and regulatory barriers faced by biosimilars. Growth will be driven by a strong late-stage pipeline, which includes several highly valuable targeted therapies, such as dupilumab, AN-2729, AMG-827 and ixekizumab.

Jennifer Goossens, Associate Analyst for GBI Research, states that: “There exists a significant unmet need for improved treatment options across dermatology indications, as physicians often cite poor efficacy, low patient compliance, and problematic safety profiles with the long-term use of many available treatments. This is especially true for patients with severe disease who rely on general immunosuppressive drugs.

“There are currently a number of promising biologics in the pipeline for major skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris and rosacea, with 17 biologics in Phase III of development. This sizeable number suggests that they could have a considerable impact on treatment algorithms in the dermatology therapy area over the forecast period.”

In terms of specific products, Regeneron/Sanofi’s dupilumab is the leading candidate to bring about a paradigm shift in the treatment moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. At the same time, the use of older systemic immunosuppressants in dermatology is likely to decrease once biologics for other key indications besides psoriasis enter the market from 2016.

However, GBI Research believes the dermatology space is not likely to experience major shifts in terms of its big players by 2022.

Goossens concludes: “Key market players, namely Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, and Roche, are expected to maintain their strong market shares throughout the forecast period, despite the fact that many of the approaching patent expiries — especially AbbVie’s Humira and Johnson & Johnson’s Remicade — will affect these companies directly.”