Acquisitions and spin-offs dominated headlines in 2019 and the tone was set very early with Bristol-Myers Squibb acquiring
New Jersey-based cancer drug company Celgene in a US$ 74 billion deal announced on
January 3, 2019. After factoring
in debt, the deal value ballooned to about US$ 95 billion, which according
to data compiled by Refinitiv, made it the largest healthcare deal on
record.
In the summer, AbbVie Inc,
which sells the world’s best-selling drug Humira, announced its acquisition of Allergan Plc, known for Botox and other cosmetic
treatments, for US$ 63 billion. While the companies are still awaiting
regulatory approval for their deal, with US$ 49 billion in combined 2019
revenues, the merged entity would rank amongst the biggest in the industry.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
The big five by pharmaceutical sales — Pfizer,
Roche, J&J, Novartis and Merck
Pfizer
continued
to lead companies by pharmaceutical sales by reporting annual 2019 revenues of
US$ 51.8 billion, a decrease of US$ 1.9 billion, or 4 percent, compared to
2018. The decline was primarily attributed to the loss of exclusivity of Lyrica in 2019,
which witnessed its sales drop from US$ 5 billion in 2018 to US$ 3.3 billion in
2019.
In 2018, Pfizer’s then incoming CEO Albert Bourla had mentioned that the company did not see the need for any large-scale M&A activity as Pfizer had “the best pipeline” in its history, which needed the company to focus on deploying its capital to keep its pipeline flowing and execute on its drug launches.
Bourla stayed true to his word and barring the acquisition of Array Biopharma for US$ 11.4 billion and a spin-off to merge Upjohn, Pfizer’s off-patent branded and generic established medicines business with
Mylan, there weren’t any other big ticket deals which were announced.
The
Upjohn-Mylan merged entity will be called Viatris and is expected to have 2020
revenues between US$ 19 and US$ 20 billion
and could outpace Teva to
become the largest generic company in the world, in term of revenues.
Novartis, which had
followed Pfizer with the second largest revenues in the pharmaceutical industry
in 2018, reported its first full year earnings after spinning off its Alcon eye
care devices business division that
had US$ 7.15 billion in 2018 sales.
In 2019,
Novartis slipped two spots in the ranking after reporting total sales of US$
47.4 billion and its CEO Vas Narasimhan continued his deal-making spree by buying New
Jersey-headquartered The Medicines Company (MedCo) for US$ 9.7
billion to acquire a late-stage cholesterol-lowering
therapy named inclisiran.
As Takeda Pharmaceutical Co was
busy in 2019 on working to reduce its debt burden incurred due to its US$ 62
billion purchase of Shire Plc, which was announced in 2018, Novartis also purchased
the eye-disease medicine, Xiidra, from the Japanese drugmaker for US$ 5.3 billion.
Novartis’ management also spent a considerable part of 2019 dealing with data-integrity concerns which emerged from its 2018 buyout of AveXis, the
gene-therapy maker Novartis had acquired for US$ 8.7 billion.
The deal gave Novartis rights to Zolgensma,
a novel treatment intended for children less than two years of age with the
most severe form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Priced at US$ 2.1 million,
Zolgensma is currently the world’s most expensive drug.
However,
in a shocking announcement, a month after approving the drug, the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release on
data accuracy issues as the agency was informed by AveXis that
its personnel had manipulated data which
the FDA used to evaluate product comparability and nonclinical (animal)
pharmacology as part of the biologics license application (BLA), which was
submitted and reviewed by the FDA.
With US$
50.0 billion (CHF 48.5 billion) in annual pharmaceutical sales, Swiss drugmaker
Roche came in at number two position in 2019
as its sales grew 11 percent driven by
its multiple sclerosis medicine Ocrevus, haemophilia drug Hemlibra and cancer medicines Tecentriq and Perjeta.
Roche’s newly introduced medicines generated US$ 5.53 billion (CHF 5.4 billion) in growth, helping offset the impact of the competition from biosimilars for its three best-selling drugs MabThera/Rituxan, Herceptin and Avastin.
In late 2019, after months of increased
antitrust scrutiny, Roche completed
its US$ 5.1 billion acquisition of Spark Therapeutics to strengthen its presence in
gene therapy.
Last year, J&J reported almost flat worldwide sales of US$ 82.1 billion. J&J’s pharmaceutical division generated US$ 42.20 billion and its medical devices and consumer health divisions brought in US$ 25.96 billion and US$ 13.89 billion respectively.
Since J&J’s consumer health division sells analgesics, digestive health along with beauty and oral care products, the US$ 5.43 billion in consumer health sales from over-the-counter drugs and women’s health products was only used in our assessment of J&J’s total pharmaceutical revenues. With combined pharmaceutical sales of US$ 47.63 billion, J&J made it to number three on our list.
While the sales of products like Stelara, Darzalex, Imbruvica, Invega Sustenna drove J&J’s pharmaceutical business to grow by 4 percent over 2018, the firm had to contend with generic competition against key revenue contributors Remicade and Zytiga.
US-headquartered Merck, which is known as
MSD (short for Merck Sharp & Dohme) outside the United States and
Canada, is set to significantly move up the rankings next year fueled by its
cancer drug Keytruda, which witnessed a 55
percent increase in sales to US$ 11.1 billion.
Merck reported total revenues of US$ 41.75 billion and also
announced it will spin off its women’s health drugs,
biosimilar drugs and older products to create a new pharmaceutical
company with US$ 6.5 billion in annual revenues.
The firm had anticipated 2020 sales between US$ 48.8 billion and US$ 50.3 billion however this week it announced that the coronavirus pandemic will reduce 2020 sales by more than $2 billion.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Humira holds on to remain world’s best-selling drug
AbbVie’s acquisition of Allergan comes as the firm faces the expiration of patent protection for Humira, which brought in a staggering US$ 19.2 billion in sales last year for
the company. AbbVie has failed to successfully acquire or develop a major new
product to replace the sales generated by its flagship drug.
In 2019, Humira’s US revenues increased 8.6 percent to US$ 14.86 billion while internationally, due
to biosimilar competition, the sales dropped 31.1 percent to US$ 4.30 billion.
Bristol Myers Squibb’s Eliquis, which is also marketed by Pfizer, maintained its number two position
and posted total sales of US$ 12.1 billion, a 23 percent increase over 2018.
While Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy treatment Opdivo, sold in partnership with Ono in Japan, saw sales increase from US$ 7.57 billion to US$ 8.0 billion, the growth paled in comparison to the US$ 3.9
billion revenue increase of Opdivo’s key immunotherapy competitor Merck’s Keytruda.
Keytruda took the number three spot in drug sales that
previously belonged to Celgene’s Revlimid, which witnessed a sales decline from US$ 9.69 billion to US$ 9.4 billion.
Cancer treatment Imbruvica, which is marketed
by J&J and AbbVie, witnessed a 30 percent increase in sales. With US$ 8.1
billion in 2019 revenues, it took the number five position.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Vaccines – Covid-19 turns competitors into partners
This year has been dominated by the single biggest health emergency in years — the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. As drugs continue to fail to meet expectations, vaccine development has received a lot of attention.
GSK reported the highest vaccine sales of all drugmakers with
total sales of US$ 8.4 billion (GBP 7.16 billion), a significant portion of its
total sales of US$ 41.8 billion (GBP 33.754 billion).
US-based Merck’s vaccine division also reported a significant increase in sales to US$ 8.0 billion and in 2019 received FDA and EU approval to market its Ebola vaccine Ervebo.
This is the first FDA-authorized vaccine against the deadly virus which causes
hemorrhagic fever and spreads from person to person through direct contact with
body fluids.
Pfizer and Sanofi also reported an increase in their vaccine sales to US$ 6.4
billion and US$ 6.2 billion respectively and the Covid-19 pandemic has recently
pushed drugmakers to move faster than ever before and has also converted
competitors into partners.
In a rare move, drug behemoths — Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) —joined hands to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
The two companies plan to start human trials
in the second half of this year, and if things go right, they will file
for potential approvals by the second half of 2021.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Our view
Covid-19 has brought the world economy to a grinding halt and shifted the global attention to the pharmaceutical industry’s capability to deliver solutions to address this pandemic.
Our compilation shows that vaccines and drugs
for infectious diseases currently form a tiny fraction of the total sales of
pharmaceutical companies and few drugs against infectious diseases rank high on
the sales list.
This could well explain the limited range of
options currently available to fight Covid-19. With the pandemic currently infecting
over 3 million people spread across more than 200 countries, we can safely
conclude that the scenario in 2020 will change substantially. And so should our
compilation of top drugs for the year.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Impressions: 54752
The year 2016 finished with a whimper insofar as mergers and acquisitions (M&As) were concerned. The preceding year — 2015 — had gone down in history as a record year for M&As in the pharmaceutical and biotech space, when deals worth US $300 billion were announced.
While drug companies were not as active on
the M&A front, the product sales growth in 2016 continued to stay extremely
robust and the order of the top ranked drugs changed little from the previous
year.
This week, PharmaCompass brings you
a compilation of the top drugs of 2016 by sales revenue.
Click here to Access All the
2016 Data (Excel version available) for FREE!
The top-sellers
Abbvie’s Humira (adalimumab) continued to remain the best-selling drug in the
world and added another US $2 billion to its 2015 sales by generating record
sales of US $16.078 billion in 2016.
Last year also saw the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve Amgen’s Amjevita™ (adalimumab – atto) — a biosimilar of Humira®. Amjevita was approved for treating adults with a variety of medical conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis, to ulcerative colitis.
Click here to Access All the
2016 Data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Gilead’s Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir), with record sales of US $13.864 billion in 2015, had a slightly muted performance in 2016 as sales fell to US $9.081 billion (a drop of US $4.783 billion). Gilead failed to maintain its initial rate of new prescriptions, and competition from Merck and AbbVie forced it to offer major discounts to health insurers.
While Gilead executives still believe there is lots of growth left in the hepatitis C market, this year Gilead will continue to face headwinds as Merck's new combination pill — Zepatier — entered the market with a list price at US $54,600 for a 12-week regimen, well below the US $94,500 for Harvoni.
Biological drugs, Enbrel (etanercept),
Remicade (infliximab) and MabThera (rituximab), held onto their positions of 2015, although their combined sales increased a little over US $300
million.
This means that for yet another year, the
four best-selling drugs in the world are from biological origin.
Celgene’s Revlimid (lenalidomide) — a thalidomide derivative introduced in 2004 as an immunomodulatory agent for the treatment of various cancers such as multiple myeloma — brought in US $5.8 billion in 2015, and grew another 20 percent this year, to US $6.974 billion. Revlimid now contributes more than 60 percent to the company's total sales of US $11.229 billion.
With almost identical sales of US $6.7
billion, Roche’s cancer treatments Herceptin and Avastin were also into
the top 10 best selling drugs in 2016, making Roche have the most number of
products, three of which made it to the list.
Click here to Access All the
2016 Data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Facing onslaught of generics, biosimilars
Against the backdrop of questions being raised about
insulin pricing and possible collusion in the United States, Sanofi saw its insulin treatment Lantus (insulin glargine) drop from number six on the 2015 list to number 9 in 2016 as sales fell by US $717 million to a little over US $6 billion. Sanofi’s competitors in the diabetes space — Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly — also registered a drop in their insulin sales.
In addition to the pricing pressure, Sanofi will continue to contend with Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s FDA approved biosimilar of insulin glargine — Basaglar — which was approved in December 2015.
Click here to Access All the
2016 Data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Basaglar is biologically similar to Sanofi’s Lantus and was announced at a price 15 percent lower than that of Lantus.
GSK’s Advair, which is preparing for generic competition in 2017, saw its sales drop 5 percent in British Pounds to £3,485. However, the dollar value was significantly lower in view of the fall in the Pound’s value after Brexit.
AstraZeneca’s Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium), Otsuka’s Abilify (aripiprazole) and Novartis’ Gleevec (imatinib) all saw their sales crash in 2016 as a result of generic onslaught. The three drugs together witnessed a combined sales drop of US $5.7 billion.
Top 20 drugs by sales
Here is PharmaCompass’ compilation
of the best-selling drugs of 2016. This is based on information extracted from
annual reports and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings of major
pharmaceutical companies.
If you would like your own copy of all the information we’ve collected, email us at support@pharmacompass.com and we’ll send you an Excel version.
Click
here to access all the 2016 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
S. No
Product
Active Ingredient
Main Therapeutic Indication
Company
2016 Revenue in Millions (USD)
2015 Revenue in Millions (USD)
Sales Difference in Millions (USD)
1
Humira
Adalimumab
Immunology (Organ Transplant, Arthritis etc.)
Abbvie
16,078
14,012
2,066
2
Harvoni
Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
Gilead
9,081
13,864
(4,783)
3
Enbrel
Etanercept
Immunology (Organ Transplant, Arthritis etc.)
Amgen/Pfizer Inc.
8875
8697
178
4
Remicade
Infliximab
Immunology (Organ Transplant, Arthritis etc.)
Johnson & Johnson/Merck & Co
8,234
8,355
(121)
5
MabThera/Rituxan
Rituximab
Oncology
Roche
7227
6974.55
252
6
Revlimid
Lenalidomide
Oncology
Celgene
6,974
5,801
1,173
7
Avastin
Bevacizumab
Oncology
Roche
6,715
6,617
98
8
Herceptin
Trastuzumab
Oncology
Roche
6,714
6,473
242
9
Lantus
Insulin Glargine
Diabetes
Sanofi
6,057
6,773
(717)
10
Prevnar/Prevenar
13
Pneumococcal 13-Valent Conjugate
Anti-bacterial
Pfizer Inc.
5,718
6,246
(528)
11
Xarelto
Rivaroxaban
Cardiovascular Diseases
Bayer/Johnson & Johnson
5,392
4,255
1,137
12
Eylea
Aflibercept
Ophthalmology
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc./Bayer
5,046
3,978
1,068
13
Lyrica
Pregabalin
Neurological/Mental Disorders
Pfizer Inc.
4,966
4,839
127
14
Neulasta
Pegfilgrastim
Blood Disorders
Amgen
4,648
4,715
(67)
15
Seretide/Advair
Salmeterol
Respiratory Disorders
GlaxoSmithKline
4,252
4,491
(239)
16
Copaxone
Glatiramer
Neurological/Mental Disorders
Teva
4,223
4,023
200
17
Sovaldi
Sofosbuvir
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
Gilead
4,001
5,276
(1,275)
18
Tecfidera
Dimethyl Fumarate
Neurological/Mental Disorders
Biogen
3,968
3,638
330
19
Januvia
Sitagliptin
Diabetes
Merck & Co
3,908
3,864
44
20
Opdivo
Nivolumab
Oncology
Bristol-Myers Squibb
3,774
942
2,832
Blockbusters in the making
With almost US $5 billion in sales, a 14 percent growth over the previous year, Pfizer’s Lyrica enjoyed its last year before generic competition enters the market as Generics (UK) Limited (Mylan) and Actavis Group PTC ehf won a patent challenge in the United Kingdom.
Lyrica generics are expected in the United
States in late 2018.
Click here to Access All the
2016 Data (Excel version available) for FREE!
As Abbvie’s Humira begins to face competition from Amgen, Abbvie’s US $21 billion buy of Pharmacyclics seems to be paying off. The Pharmacyclics buy was a way to get access to Imbruvica (ibrutinib), which generated total 2016 sales of US $3.083 billion — an increase of US $1.64 billion over the previous year.
Anticoagulants, Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Eliquis (apixaban), Pradaxa (dabigatran) all registered significant positive growth with a combined increase of almost US $ 2.75 billion.
Gilead and GSK’s combination HIV treatments — Genvoya and Triumeq — also reported sales increase of over a billion dollars each.
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industry updates along with our data compilations, do sign up for the PharmaCompass
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Click here to Access All the
2016 Data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Impressions: 58546
In less than three weeks, Donald Trump will assume office as the
President of the United States. He has mentioned that he wants Medicare (a
national social insurance program) to directly negotiate the price it pays for prescription drugs.
Medicare provides health insurance to Americans aged 65 or more, who
have worked and paid into the system through the payroll tax. It also provides
health insurance to younger people with some disabilities or end-stage renal
disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
In 2015, Medicare provided health insurance to over 55 million Americans — including 46 million people aged 65 or more, and nine million younger people.
As we flag off the New Year, PharmaCompass
provides insights into drug prices and prescription patterns in the US in order
to help professionals make informed decisions. We believe that the cost of
medicines in the US, which have been a subject of much public outcry and
discussions in the recent years, will continue to be scrutinized during 2017.
Medicare data for 2014
Medicare Part D, also known as the Medicare prescription drug benefit — the program which subsidizes the costs of prescription drugs and prescription drug insurance premiums for Medicare beneficiaries — published a data set (for calendar year 2014) which contains information from over one million healthcare providers
who collectively prescribed approximately US $121 billion worth of prescription
drugs paid for under this program.
For each prescriber and drug, the dataset
includes the total number of prescriptions that were dispensed (including
original prescriptions and any refills), and the total drug cost.
The total drug cost includes the ingredient cost of the medication, dispensing fees, sales tax, and any applicable administration fees. It’s based on the amounts paid by the Part D plan, the Medicare beneficiary, other government subsidies, and any other third-party payers (such as employers and liability insurers).
The total drug cost does not reflect any manufacturer rebates paid to Part D plan sponsors through direct and indirect remuneration or point-of sale rebates. In order to protect the beneficiary’s privacy, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not
include information in cases where 10 or fewer prescriptions were dispensed.
Top
Ten Drugs by Cost, 2014 [Most expensive for Medicare]
Drug Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Sofosbuvir
109,543
33,028
7,323
$3,106,589,192
Esomeprazole Magnesium
7,537,736
1,405,570
286,927
$2,660,052,054
Rosuvastatin Calcium
9,072,799
1,752,423
266,499
$2,543,475,142
Aripiprazole
2,963,457
405,048
130,933
$2,526,731,476
Fluticasone/Salmeterol
6,093,354
1,420,515
281,775
$2,276,060,161
Tiotropium Bromide
5,852,258
1,211,919
253,277
$2,158,219,163
Lantus
Solostar
(Insulin Glargine)
4,441,782
972,882
224,710
$2,016,728,436
Sitagliptin Phosphate
4,495,964
789,828
190,741
$1,775,094,282
Lantus
(Insulin Glargine)
4,284,173
787,077
223,502
$1,725,391,907
Lenalidomide
178,373
27,142
9,337
$1,671,610,362
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
Top
Ten Drugs by Average Cost per Claim, 2014 [Most expensive drugs]
Drug Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Average Cost Per Claim
Adagen
13
$1,224,835
$94,218
Elaprase
100
$6,560,225
$65,602
Cinryze
1,820
194
196
$96,155,785
$52,833
Carbaglu
60
$2,901,115
$48,352
Naglazyme
129
$6,189,045
$47,977
Berinert
538
73
68
$25,685,311
$47,742
Firazyr
1,568
269
232
$70,948,143
$45,248
H.P. Acthar
9,611
2,932
1,621
$391,189,653
$40,702
Procysbi
314
41
47
$12,542,911
$39,946
Folotyn
15
$598,210
$39,881
Top
Ten Drugs by Claims, 2014 [Most Commonly Used by Patients]
Generic Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Lisinopril
38,278,860
7,454,940
464,747
$281,614,340
Levothyroxine Sodium
37,711,869
6,245,507
416,518
$631,855,415
Amlodipine Besylate
36,344,166
6,750,062
451,350
$303,779,661
Simvastatin
34,092,548
6,768,159
387,651
$346,677,118
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
33,446,696
8,005,790
677,865
$676,296,988
Omeprazole
33,032,770
6,707,964
475,122
$529,050,385
Atorvastatin Calcium
32,603,055
6,740,061
419,327
$747,635,818
Furosemide
27,133,430
5,176,582
456,047
$135,710,772
Metformin HCl
23,475,787
4,509,978
364,273
$203,948,989
Gabapentin
22,143,641
4,298,609
486,754
$492,557,255
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
Top
Ten Drugs by Prescribers, 2014 [Most Popular with Doctors]
Generic Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
33,446,696
8,005,790
677,865
$676,296,988
Ciprofloxacin HCl
7,253,018
4,926,835
568,201
$46,728,353
Amoxicillin
6,298,980
4,384,899
557,614
$31,193,739
Cephalexin
5,040,219
3,529,303
557,048
$36,987,401
Azithromycin
7,339,954
5,274,010
544,625
$70,699,119
Prednisone
11,032,986
4,505,821
536,108
$86,537,932
Tramadol HCl
14,250,227
4,272,724
515,816
$125,343,514
Sulfamethoxazole /Trimethoprim
4,833,758
3,090,944
500,790
$29,231,511
Gabapentin
22,143,641
4,298,609
486,754
$492,557,255
Amoxicillin/Potassium Clav
3,551,452
2,710,244
478,361
$61,713,432
The findings from CMS
data
The CY 2014 data represented a 17 percent
increase compared to the 2013 data set and a substantial part of the total estimated prescription drug spending (as estimated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, or ASPE) in the United States — at about US $ 457 billion in 2015, which was 16.7 percent of the overall personal healthcare services.
Of that US $ 457 billion, US $ 328 billion (71.9 percent) was for retail
drugs and US $ 128 billion (28.1 percent) was for non-retail drugs.
The drug pricing process in the US is complex and
reflects the influence of numerous factors, including manufacturer list prices,
confidential negotiated discounts and rebates, insurance plan benefit designs,
and patient choices.
An IMS study found that across 12 therapy classes widely used in Medicare Part D,
medicine costs to plans and patients in Medicare Part D are 35 percent below
list prices.
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
While the CMS does not
currently have an established formulary, Part D drug coverage excludes drugs
not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, those prescribed for off-label
use, drugs not available by prescription for
purchase in the US, and drugs for which payments would be available under Parts
A or B of Medicare.
Part D coverage
excludes drugs or classes of drugs excluded from Medicaid coverage,
such as:
Drugs used for anorexia, weight loss, or weight gain
Drugs used to promote fertility
Drugs used for erectile dysfunction
Drugs used for cosmetic purposes (hair growth, etc.)
Drugs used for the symptomatic relief of cough and colds
Prescription vitamins and mineral products, except prenatal vitamins and fluoride preparations
Drugs where the manufacturer requires (as a condition of sale) any associated tests or monitoring services to be purchased exclusively from that manufacturer or its designee
Our view
The Medicare program is designed such that the
federal government is not permitted to negotiate prices of drugs with the drug
companies, as federal agencies do under other programs.
For instance, the Department of Veterans Affairs — which is allowed to negotiate drug prices and establish a formulary — has been estimated to pay (on an average) between 40 to 58 percent less for drugs, as opposed to Medicare Part D.
If Trump administration kick starts direct
negotiations on Medicare drug prices with drug companies, 2017 will surely turn
out to be a year for the pharmaceutical industry to remember.
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
Impressions: 7923
This week, Phispers brings you the latest on controversies, such as the one surrounding Hillary Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine and Roche’s Avastin that caused vision damage in patients at an Indian hospital. There is also regulatory news from across the world, and the latest M&A deal. Did Abbott’s sales rep in India kill himself due to pressure to meet targets? An Abbott medical representative in India killed himself last week, allegedly due to the pressure put by the pharma company to achieve
periodic sales targets. As per a news report, Ashish Awasthi, 35, was found
dead on a railway track, with a note that blamed the company for his
death. Abbott, however, has denied any role in his death. In fact,
the company has said Awasthi was rated among the top performers and had
recently qualified for a training certification meant for high performers. Roche’s Avastin sent for testing, as stakeholders play blame-game in vision damage caseIndia’s Health Ministry has sent samples of Roche’s Avastin for
testing following reports that 27 out of 30 patients at the Post-Graduate
Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, complained of
infection
and vision damage after being administered the drug.Samples of the drug used were sent to Central Drugs
Laboratory in Kolkata for testing. The cause of the problem remains unclear,
though the patients have been discharged
from the hospital. PGIMER suspects the problem was an outcome of the local
chemist supplying spurious drugs. This is the first
time in nine years that the hospital has purchased the medicine from a
chemist, as this time there was a delay in supply from Roche. The chemist, in
turn, passed the buck onto Roche.In a statement, Roche blamed the doctors, and said they should
not have administered the drug. “The safety of patients is always our priority and we are treating the event in Chandigarh relating to the off-label use of Avastin (bevacizumab) in the eye very seriously. Avastin is an important cancer therapy... We would like to reiterate that [it] has not been approved for use in the eye by the US FDA (Federal Drug Administration), EMA (European Medicines Agency) or the Government of India,” Roche said. Clinton’s VP nominee under scrutiny for receiving favours from Teva’s BarrWhen it comes to accepting gifts from pharmaceutical companies, doctors have invariably been the target of scrutiny. However, last week America’s presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s running mate – Senator
Tim Kaine – received much bad press for accepting a pharma company’s offer to fly him on a private jet to a meeting in Aspen.
The company – Barr
Pharmaceutical (now a part of Teva) – flew Clinton’s pick for the US vice president in a private jet, and the flight was worth US $ 12,000, says Kaine’s disclosure report. Kaine was then the governor of Virginia. And Barr executives were lobbying Kaine to write a letter to the FDA on its behalf. Kaine signed a letter to US regulators – as requested by Barr – before taking the flight, say reports.However,
other news reports point that the flight and other gifts (worth US $ 160,000) Kaine
accepted during his stint as governor were legal under Virginia’s laws at the time, since they were disclosed. FDA rejects Valeant’s potential blockbuster drug for treating glaucomaLast week, Valeant’s
experimental glaucoma drug was rejected by the FDA, due to manufacturing
practices at its Florida facility. In a statement, Valeant said it had received a Complete Response Letter from the FDA regarding its New Drug Application for Vesneo (latanoprostene bunod) – an intraocular pressure lowering single-agent eye drop for patients with open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. In its rejection letter, the FDA did not cite concerns over efficacy or safety of the drug, but raised unspecified deficiencies at the Florida plant operated by Valeant’s Bausch
& Lomb division. If approved, Vesneo will be the first nitric
oxide donating prostaglandin
receptor agonist available for the two disorders. Some analysts have suggested
the drug (when approved) could become a global blockbuster with more than US $ 1
billion in annual sales. FDA approves record
number of generic drug applications from IndiaAll news pertaining to Indian pharma may sound negative. But that’s not true – several new players are winning approvals to sell generics in the US market. Thought the FDA has stepped up both scrutiny and regulatory action against drug companies in India, it’s also been approving generic drug applications from India at a frenetic pace.For instance, Sun
Pharma, Glenmark
and Aurobindo
said they had received approval
to sell generics of the AstraZeneca’s blockbuster cholesterol pill Crestor in
the US.During July to December 2015, the FDA approved a record 83
new generic drug applications out of India’s publicly listed firms. And during January to June 2016, though the pace of approvals slowed down to 73, it is still amongst the best six-months in statistics for approvals going back to 2005. An off-patent malaria drug may help treat cancerAn off-patent malaria drug – Atovaquone – has been found to boost oxygen levels in the tumour cells in mice. This makes radiotherapy
more effective in treating a range of cancer, including cancer of the
lung, bowel, brain and head and neck. The drug is known to be
safe.Cancer
cells with low oxygen levels are more difficult to treat with radiotherapy, and
are more likely to spread to other parts of the body. Early
work undertaken by British scientists points that Atovaquone could help destroy
cancer cells by making them more susceptible to radiotherapy. This has prompted
the scientists to start clinical trial on the off-patent drug. China likely to be
first off-the-block to use CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tool A long-standing goal of biomedical research is the development of an efficient and reliable way to make precise and targeted changes to the genome of living cells. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are segments of prokaryotic DNA containing short repetitions of base sequences. And CRISPR-Cas9 – a new tool in genome editing – has created considerable excitement in biomedical research.However, it’s not the Americans who will be the first to use this tool. Scientists
in China plan to use CRISPR-Cas9 in patients as early as next month. If
they go ahead, it would be the first time people would be injected with cells
whose DNA has been altered.A US proposal to run a similar study received
approval by a federal ethics and safety panel last month, but it faces
months of additional regulatory hurdles. And the earliest it can go ahead is
2016-end.Scientists intend to use CRISPR to edit
immune-system T cells in patients with cancer in an effort to make those
cells destroy malignant cells. Novartis AG stops
making TB drugs in Pakistan due to dispute over pricingPakistan has the world’s fifth-largest incidence of tuberculosis. And fears of a health crisis – triggered by the shortage of TB drugs – looms over the country, as Novartis
AG said it has stopped making TB
drugs in Pakistan due to a dispute over pricing. The
Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) sets prices for about 320 critical
medicines. But pricing caps have not been significantly raised since 2001, and
drug companies find it unviable to make several drugs in the country. This
news comes at a time when Novartis is bracing up for a
tougher price environment in the US, post the presidential
elections. This imminent pricing environment is likely to compel the global
pharmaceutical industry to restructure. China’s Fosun to buy Gland Pharma for US $ 1.4 billionThis week, Shanghai
Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) signed a definitive
agreement to acquire controlling stake in Hyderabad-based Gland
Pharma in a US $ 1.4 billion deal. This is the first instance of a large FDI coming into India’s manufacturing sector from China. It also paves the way for Fosun to expand its research and manufacturing capacity in India.By way
of this agreement, Fosun will acquire 86 percent stake in the company, by
buying shares held by founders Ravi Penmetsa and family and private equity
giant KKR & Company LP. KKR had bought 38 percent in Gland in November
2013, for about US $ 191 million, valuing the company at US $ 600-650 million
at the time.
Impressions: 1906
The year 2015 has gone down
in history as a record year for mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical
and biotech space with deals worth US $ 300 billion being announced. The highlight
of the year was the Pfizer-Allergan mega-merger – the biggest-ever pharma transaction worth more than US $ 160 billion.
Pharma Letter tracked transactions
through the year and found the number of deals exceeding US $1 billion at 30 in
2015, as compared to 26 in 2014 and 20 in 2013. In all, a total of 166 M&A
deals were announced in 2015 (out of which some are yet to be completed),
compared to 137 in 2014.
This week, PharmaCompass
brings you a compilation of the top drugs of 2015 by sales revenue and growth.
Sofosbuvir – the outright winner of 2015
2015 was the year of Sofosbuvir – the revolutionary active ingredient used for the treatment of hepatitis. Together, through the sale of drugs Harvoni and
Sovaldi, Sofosbuvir brought in sales of almost US $ 19 billion.
The PharmaCompass prediction
that Harvoni (a combination of Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir; and used for the treatment
of infectious diseases like hepatitis and HIV) would become the best-selling
drug ever in 2015 fell slightly short of expectations as its sales of US $ 13.864
billion were marginally less than AbbVie’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment – Humira.
Humira retained its place as the best-selling drug with US $
14.012 billion in sales in 2015. However, with sales growth of US $ 11.737
billion in a single year, Harvoni is poised to become the best-selling drug by
the end of 2016.
Top 20 Drugs by Sales
Here is PharmaCompass’ compilation of the best-selling drugs of 2015. This is based on information
extracted from annual reports and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings
of major pharmaceutical companies.
If you would like your own copy of all the information we’ve collected, email us at support@pharmacompass.com and we’ll send you an Excel version.
Click here to access all
the 2015 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Product
Active Ingredient
Main Therapeutic Indication
Company
2014 Revenue in Millions
(USD)
2015 Revenue in Millions
(USD)
2015 Sales Difference
Millions (USD)
1
Humira
Adalimumab
Immunology (Organ Transplant, Arthritis etc.)
AbbVie
12,543
14,012
1,469
2
Harvoni
Ledipasvir
and Sofosbuvir
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
Gilead
Sciences
2,127
13,864
11,737
3
Enbrel
Etanercept
Immunology (Organ Transplant, Arthritis etc.)
Amgen / Pfizer
4,688
8,697
4009
4
Remicade
Infliximab
Immunology (Organ Transplant, Arthritis etc.)
Johnson
& Johnson / Merck
6,868
8,355
1487
5
MabThera/Rituxan
Rituximab
Oncology
Roche
5,659
7,115
1,456
6
Lantus
Insulin Glargine
Diabetes
Sanofi
6,978
7,029
51
7
Avastin
Bevacizumab
Oncology
Roche
6,481
6,751
270
8
Herceptin
Trastuzumab
Oncology
Roche
6,338
6,603
265
9
Revlimid
Lenalidomide
Blood Related Disorders
Celgene
Corpoartion
4,980
5,801
821
10
Sovaldi
Sofosbuvir
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
Gilead
Sciences
10,283
5,276
(5,007)
11
Seretide / Advair
Salmeterol
Respiratory Disorders
GlaxoSmithKline
6,005
5,227
(778)
12
Crestor
Rosuvastatin
Calcium
Cardiovascular
AstraZeneca
5,512
5,017
(495)
13
Lyrica
Pregabalin
Neuroscience and Mental Health
Pfizer
Inc.
5,168
4,839
(329)
14
Neulasta
Pegfilgrastim
Blood Related Disorders
Amgen
4,596
4,715
119
15
Gleevec / Glivec
Imatinib
Oncology
Novartis
4,746
4,658
(88)
16
Xarelto
Rivaroxaban
Anticoagulants
Bayer / Johnson
& Johnson
3,369
4,345
976
17
Copaxone
Glatiramer
Neuroscience and Mental Health
Teva
4,237
4,023
(214)
18
Januvia
Sitagliptin
Diabetes
Merck
& Co
3,931
3,863
(68)
19
Abilify
Aripiprazole
Neuroscience and Mental Health
Bristol-Myers
Squibb/ Otsuka
Holdings
6,485
3,804
(2681)
20
Tecfidera
Dimethyl
Fumarate
Neuroscience and Mental Health
Biogen
2,909
3,638
729
Click here to access all
the 2015 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
A year of record FDA approvals
2015 was also the
year when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 45 novel drugs, another
all-time record high. In January this year, PharmaCompass had compiled a list of novel drugs approved by the FDA in 2015. We also extensively covered the new dosage forms of existing drugs approved in 2015. Do go through the article published on January 14, 2016, for more information.
PharmaCompass’ compilation of sales forecasts of novel drugs indicated a significant
variation in estimates. However, in our view, drugs that
saw highest sales growth in 2015 are likely to do well this year as well.
Top 20 drugs by sales growth (in USD, millions)
Product
Active Ingredient
Main Therapeutic Indication
2014 Revenue in Millions
(USD)
2015 Revenue in Millions
(USD)
2015 Sales Difference
Millions (USD)
1
Harvoni
Ledipasvir
and Sofosbuvir
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
2,127
13,864
11,737
2
Viekira Pak
Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
48
1,639
1,591
3
Humira
Adalimumab
Immunology (Organ Transplant, Arthritis etc.)
12,543
14,012
1,469
4
Hepatits C Franchise
Daclatasvir and Asunaprevir
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
256
1,603
1,347
5
Imbruvica
Ibrutinib
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
200
1,443
1,243
6
Cubicin
Daptomycin
Anti-bacterial
25
1,127
1,102
7
Eliquis
Apixaban
Anticoagulants
774
1,860
1,086
8
Triumeq
Abacavir, Dolutegravir and Lamivudine
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
-
1,037
1,037
9
Xarelto
Rivaroxaban
Anticoagulants
3,369
4,345
976
10
Opdivo
Nivolumab
Oncology
6
942
936
11
Revlimid
Lenalidomide
Blood Related Disorders
4,980
5,801
821
12
Tecfidera
Dimethyl
Fumarate
Neuroscience and Mental Health
2,909
3,638
729
13
Xtandi
Enzalutamide
Oncology
480
1,207
727
14
Ibrance
Palbociclib
Oncology
-
723
723
15
Invokana / Invokamet
Canagliflozin
Type 2 diabetes
586
1,308
722
16
Victoza
Liraglutide
Diabetes
2,014
2,704
690
17
Stribild
Cobicistat, Elvitegravir, Emtricitabine and Tenofovir
Disoproxil Fumarate
Infectious Diseases (HIV, Hepatitis etc.)
1,197
1,825
628
18
Levemir
Insulin
Diabetes
2,133
2,745
612
19
Votrient
Pazopanib
Oncology
565
565
20
Perjeta
Pertuzumab
Oncology
927
1459
532
Hepatitis C products, which had three
of the four highest sales growths in 2015, clearly show the impact these
revolutionary treatments will have on the global healthcare landscape in time
to come. Cancer immunotherapy treatments, a new generation of blood thinners
and novel diabetes treatments were some of the others which demonstrated stellar
growth in 2015.
Vaccines from Pfizer and Sanofi also displayed tremendous sales growth although they
have not been included in the compilation of drugs.
Click here to access all
the 2015 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Sign Up, Stay Ahead
While some companies like Boehringer and Valeant are yet to release their annual reports. In order to
stay informed, do sign up for the PharmaCompass
Newsletter and you will receive updated information as it becomes available
along with a lot more industry analysis.
Click here to access all
the 2015 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
CORRECTION, April 12, 2016: An earlier version of this compilation
did not account for cases where the same drug is sold by multiple companies
(e.g. Enbrel, Remicade, Xarelto etc.). As an outcome, a re-ranking of the Top
20 Drugs by Sales and Sales Growth has been done.
Impressions: 56503
With almost 30,000 Drug Master Files (DMFs) submitted to the
FDA, reviewing the filings of only the first quarter of 2015, provides an
indicator on the current areas of focus of generic pharmaceutical companies. A
detailed evaluation of the 241 filings for active pharmaceutical ingredients only,
made us find some interesting trends worth sharing.
European Blockbuster
battle!
Of the 241 DMFs, 21 APIs had more than one DMF filing and
accounted for 25% of the total filings. Interestingly, 20 DMFs were for only three APIs:
AstraZeneca’s blood thinner Brilinta® (Ticagrelor), with 2014 sales of $476
million, already had DMF filings from Dr. Reddy’s, Mylan,
Polpharma and
Zhejiang Hisun at the end of last year. With a maximum of 9 new filings from players
like Teva,
Alembic, Lek and
others, AstraZeneca
should brace itself for some serious generic onslaught.
While the 9 filings for Ticagrelor were the most for any
single compound, not far behind is Bayer’s own blood thinner: Xarelto® (Rivaroxaban). With 7 submissions, the
focus of the generic companies is understandable as Rivaroxaban had sales in
excess of $3 billion and year-on-year growth in excess of 70%. However, patents
currently protect the product till 2020, so patience is needed before generics can
access this golden opportunity.
Interestingly, 4 filings for Linagliptin (Boehringer’s antidiabetic Tradjenta®) make it yet another European pharma giant lead the list of products being subjected to generic competition, and make us wonder why European blockbusters are preferred over others?
Exclusive but not
patented
There are products, which have no patent protection, but the
market is protected by FDA granted exclusivities (learn more on patents
and exclusivities from the FDA website).
An opportunity for generic companies to gain significant
market share of a multi-hundred million dollar market, without any litigation
risk or cost is something companies dream about.
As the time of exclusivity expiry nears, Clobazam, Tetrabenazine,
Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate, Deferiprone
and Trypan Blue
will all see increased generic activity as their Drug Master Files have been
submitted.
Fragmented Activity
More than 80% of the DMF submissions were made by companies
who filed only a single product. While the products varied from simple compounds
like Sodium Chloride to biologics like Plasmid DNA, over 140 companies filed DMFs in
the first quarter with almost 30 submitting a DMF for the first time.
An expanding list of suppliers who support DMFs increases
options for sourcing managers. However,
a fragmented supplier base limits the industrial scale companies can achieve and
raises concerns regarding how many can successfully sustain compliance standards
under increased regulatory scrutiny?
The Next Generic Wave
Blood thinners are an opportunity few generic companies wish to pass on. Boehringer’s (Dabigatran Etexilate), Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (Apixaban) and Bayer’s (Rivaroxaban) are novel compounds in this category which had combined sales in excess of $5 billion last year.
While Dagibatran saw a flurry of activity over the last two
years with almost 15 DMF filings, there were no additional filings this year.
On the other hand, Apixaban, which generated $774 million
for Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2014, has only one DMF filing at the moment and that too was done
over a year ago. The export data out of India, reviewed on PharmaCompass, for
Apixaban, indicates that product development is already complete so it is just
a matter of time before the filings begin.
Conclusion:
Product and supplier selection is a critical component of every generic company’s strategy. The PharmaCompass database is designed to assist professionals in business development, marketing and sourcing to take more informed decisions.
If you would like us to share our shortlist of 241 DMFs, we will be happy to send it to you by email (click here). You can also access our compilation of the 2014 annual reports of
major pharmaceutical companies to review the various products along with their
revenues (click here):
Table: Products with more than one DMF filing in Q1 2015
PRODUCT NAME
DMF FILINGS
TICAGRELOR
9
RIVAROXABAN
7
LINAGLIPTIN
4
APREPITANT
3
CINACALCET HYDROCHLORIDE
3
ATAZANAVIR SULFATE
2
ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM TRIHYDRATE
2
CLOBAZAM
2
CLOFARABINE
2
DEFERASIROX
2
DIMETHYL FUMARATE
2
EZETIMIBE
2
ICATIBANT ACETATE
2
LURASIDONE HYDROCHLORIDE
2
MELPHALAN HYDROCHLORIDE
2
OLANZAPINE
2
OLMESARTAN MEDOXOMIL USP
2
PRASUGREL HYDROCHLORIDE
2
RIVASTIGMINE USP
2
ROSUVASTATIN CALCIUM
2
SOLIFENACINE SUCCINATE
2
Impressions: 8782
We always knew math was fuzzy, but never imagined addition could get so
complicated.
A recent publication on 2014 Global Prescription Medication Statistics listed the top pharmaceutical corporations by revenues, the best
selling products along with the top therapy areas.
The list, based on data published by IMS Health,
caught us by surprise since a previous publication by FiercePharma had a completely different order when ranking the top 15 pharmaceutical
companies.
As the difference in revenues of the top-10 companies was in excess of $60 billion and IMS Health’s data is an industry standard for decision making, we dug deeper to analyze the correlation between the information in the annual reports and IMS Health’s statistics.
Which pharmaceutical company is the largest?
Simply put, the answer is, ‘it depends’ on how you define a pharmaceutical company.
Should divisions like diagnostics, animal health, vaccines, consumer
health be counted when determining the size of a pharmaceutical company?
FiercePharma, in their analysis, used the total
revenue of all divisions of the organizations to determine the largest
organization; in their case it is Johnson & Johnson.
IMS determines their numbers by measuring “prescription sales and dispensing” and hence, excludes divisions like diagnostics, consumer health and animal health, making Novartis the largest
company.
As currency exchange rate fluctuations have their own, big role, in
determining the size of organizations, we believed it would be best to share
the revenues, as presented, so that you can draw your own conclusions.
Table 1/ Sales comparison for top pharmaceutical companies in 2014 from different sources (IMS, Fierce Pharma and Annual Reports)
Big Pharma
IMS Rank
IMS Sales
(US $Mn)
Fierce Pharma Rank
Fierce Pharma Sales (US $Mn)
Group Sales based on the Annual Report
(Currency as reported, Mn)
Novartis
1
51,307
2
57,996
USD
57,996
Pfizer
2
44,929
4
49,605
USD
49,605
Sanofi
3
40,037
5
43,070
Euro
33,770
Roche
4
37,607
3
49,866
CHF 49,866
Merck & Co
5
36,550
6
42,237
USD
42,237
Johnson &
Johnson
6
36,422
1
74,331
USD
74,331
AstraZeneca
7
33,313
8
26,095
USD
26,095
Glaxo SmithKline
8
31,470
7
37,960
GBP
23,006
Teva
9
26,001
11
20,272
USD
20,272
Gilead Sciences
10
23,673
10
24,474
USD
24,890
Amgen
11
20,473
12
20,063
USD
20,063
Lilly
12
19,909
14
19,615
USD 19,615
AbbVie
13
19,049
13
19,960
USD
19,960
Bayer
14
18,347
9
25,470
Euro
42,239
Bristol-Myers
Squibb
Not
in Top 20
15
15,879
USD
15,879
NB: Mn is million
Click here to access and download all
the 2014 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Since each group has multiple divisions, we further split the sales for
you to brainstorm:
Table 2/ Sales comparison of the different divisions of top
pharmaceutical companies in 2014 (Annual Reports in Mn)
Big Pharma
Pharma Division
Vaccine Division
Generics
Consumer Health
Other Divisions
Medical Devices/ Diagnostics Division
Animal Health Division
Divestures/ Other adjustments
Novartis
USD 31,791
Sandoz USD 9,562
Alcon USD 10,827
USD 5,816
Pfizer
USD 45,708
USD 3,446
USD 451
Sanofi
Euro 22,578
Euro 3,974
Euro 1,805
Euro 3,337
Euro 2,076
Roche
CHF 38,969
CHF 10,897
Merck & Co
USD 30,740
USD 5,302
USD 6,195
Johnson &
Johnson
USD 32,313
USD 14,496
USD 27,522
AstraZeneca
USD 26,095
Glaxo SmithKline
GBP 18,670
GBP 4,336
Teva
USD 10,458
USD 9,814
Gilead Sciences
USD 24,474
USD 416
Amgen
USD
19,327
USD 736
Lilly
USD 16,481
USD 788
USD 2,346
AbbVie
USD 19,960
Bayer
Euro 12,052
Euro 7,923
Euro 22,264
Bristol-Myers
Squibb
USD 15,879
Click here to access and download all
the 2014 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
Not sure that it adds any extra clarity on what should define a global pharmaceutical company…
Since the various divisions make
companies complicated to assess, what about product sales?
The good news is that we have a winner!
Humira®, AbbVie’s monoclonal antibody Adalimumab, used to treat rheumatoid and other types of arthritis, is the highest selling product globally. IMS reported Humira’s annual sales for 2014 at $11,844 million, while AbbVie mentions their sales of Humira at $12,543 million, the difference: a mere $700 million! However, with IMS gathering data across various points of the supply chain, and the recent volatility of the currency markets, we believe that a difference of 5.5% of total sales is within range of reason.
Unfortunately, things stopped making sense the moment we reached the
number-two product on the IMS list. Lantus®,
Sanofi’s insulin glargine, recorded sales of Euro 6,344 million (based on Sanofi’s 2014 annual report), while IMS mentions Lantus sales were $10,331 million last year. In addition, Sanofi has an 11% growth rate reported while IMS indicates a growth of 30%.
So unless the Euro/Dollar exchange rate moves back towards the 1.5
range, there seems to be a serious difference in the way the product sales are
calculated by companies and by IMS.
Using information available in the annual reports and other company declarations, we attempted to compare IMS’ Top 20 Global Products 2014 with available public information, to only find more complications!
Table 3/ Sales comparison of the top pharmaceutical products in 2014 (IMS vs Annual Reports)
Products
IMS Rank
IMS Sales (US $Mn)
Annual Reports Sales (US $Mn)
Pharma
Compass Rank
Big Pharma
Currency
Annual Reports Sales in Mn
Marketing Partner
Marketing Partner Annual Report Sales
(US $Mn)
Humira®
1
11,844
12,543
1
Abbvie
USD
12,543
Lantus®
2
10,331
7,676
5
Sanofi
Euro
6,344
Sovaldi®
3
9,375
10,283
2
Gilead Sciences
USD
10,283
Abilify®
4
9,285
7,556
6
Bristol
Myers-Squibb
USD
2,020
Otsuka
5,536
Enbrel®
5
8,707
8,538
4
Amgen
USD
4,688
Pfizer
3,850
Seretide®
6
8,652
6,589
8
GSK
GBP
4,229
Crestor®
7
8,473
5,512
11
AstraZeneca
USD
5,512
Remicade®
8
8,097
9,880
3
Johnson &
Johnson
USD
6,868
Merck & Co.
2,372
Mitsubishi
Tanabe
640
Nexium®
9
7,681
3,655
19
AstraZeneca
USD
3,655
Mabthera®
10
6,552
6,936
7
Roche
CHF
5,603
Roche
1,305
Avastin®
11
6,070
6,449
9
Roche
CHF
6,417
Lyrica®
12
6,002
5,168
12
Pfizer
USD
5,168
Herceptin®
13
5,564
6,306
10
Roche
CHF
6,275
Spiriva®
14
5,483
3,917
17
Boehringer
Euro
3,237
Januvia®
15
4,991
3,931
16
Merck & Co.
USD
3,931
Copaxone®
16
4,788
4,237
14
Teva
USD
4,237
Novorapid®
17
4,718
2,835
20
Novo Nordisk
DKK
17,449
Neulasta®
18
4,627
4,596
13
Amgen
USD
4,596
Symbicort®
19
4,535
3,801
18
AstraZeneca
USD
3,801
Lucentis®
20
4,437
4,152
15
Novartis
USD
2,441
Roche
1,711
Click here to access and download all
the 2014 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
It’s clear that the methods used to determine product sales are considerably different between IMS and the pharmaceutical companies, however there is a range of consistency as well. How accurate is each information really depends on the analyst’s point of view.
Our take:
With over $350 billion in total sales, we have provided our raw data for your review since we are certain that there are opportunities worth capitalizing
upon and others, which may not be worthwhile to pursue.
While the assessment of pharmaceutical sales is far more complicated
than what we had originally imaged, the focus of Big Pharma on small molecules
is on Hepatitis C drugs (Sofosbuvir, Olysio, AbbVie Hep C), blood thinners, Eliquis® (Apixaban), Xarelto®(Rivaroxaban) and of course ‘tinib’ cancer treatments.
Table 4/ Growth of ‘tinib’ cancer treatments in 2014 (Annual Reports)
Products
Big Pharma
Sales (US $Mn) 2013
Sales (US $Mn) 2014
Growth (%)
Ibrutinib
Pharmacyclics,
Inc
(now
AbbVie)
14
492
3414%
Dasatinib
Bristol-Myers
Squibb
1280
1493
17%
Trametinib
GSK
10
68
580%
Nilotinib
Novartis
1266
1529
21%
Ruxolitinib
Novartis
163
279
71%
Ceritinib
Novartis
Not
launched
31
Sunitinib
Maleate
Pfizer
1204
1174
-2%
Crizotinib
Pfizer
282
438
55%
Axitinib
Pfizer
319
410
29%
Tofacitinib
Citrate
Pfizer
114
308
170%
Click here to access and download all
the 2014 data (Excel version available) for FREE!
However, Big Pharma is now all about biologics.
IMS’s data indicates that the top 10 products have only 5 biologics, while our calculations have 8 out of the top 10 products as biologics. The future strategy is best summed up by the statement in Bristol-Myers Squibb’s annual report “Just 5 years ago, we had about 40% of our development projects in biologics. If we look forward 3-5 years, we believe that number could potentially grow to about 75%”.
The barriers of entry for generic competition and potential windfalls have made rivals come together to co-market Synagis® (AbbVie & AstraZeneca), Remicade® (Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Tanabe), Xolair® and Lucentis® (Roche & Novartis).
Our pharmaceutical whisper (phisper): join the bio-age or bio-degrade!
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