Together, the 10 biggest drugs losing IP protections since 2007 will account for more than $915 billion in lifetime sales, according to data compiled by life science commercial intelligence firm Evaluate. The top drug is the biggest patent expiration of all time at a mind-blowing $179 billion, according to the analysts, but that doesn't mean it'll quickly face competition.
Back in 1989 Pfizer was a mid-tier pharmaceutical company with total revenues of $5.1 billion. Pfizer PFE -0.10% had come off a decade of modest growth, but internally the company was very optimistic. This optimism was fueled by the rapid launch of what was termed inside of Pfizer as the “big 5”: Norvasc, Zoloft, Zithromax, Diflucan, and Cardura. In 1996, Pfizer launched Viagra and signed a co-marketing agreement with Warner-Lambert for Lipitor. The cumulative effect of these products was tremendous and literally transformed Pfizer into a major global corporation.
Israel's Kitov Pharmaceuticals ($KTOV) said its proprietary combination of two old drugs successfully treated osteoarthritis pain without spiking blood pressure in a Phase III trial, paving a path to FDA submission.