BioTrends Research Group, a research and advisory firms
for specialized biopharmaceutical issues, finds that physician-reported
patient shares for Novartis's Gilenya and Biogen Idec's
Tysabri are 8 percent and 10 percent among relapsing-remitting multiple
sclerosis (RR-MS) patients treated with a disease-modifying therapy
(DMT) across the EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United
Kingdom); significantly higher than those reported by EU5 neurologists
surveyed in 2012.
According to a release, surveyed neurologists also report
that recent changes in treatment management include a shift toward
earlier and more-aggressive treatment and increased use of the anti- JCV
antibody assay, changes that are consistent with the increased patient
shares reported for Gilenya and Tysabri. Survey data indicate that these
agents occupy distinct niches, with Gilenya a preferred second-line
therapy in JCV-positive patients and Tysabri a preferred second-line
therapy in JCV-negative patients.
The TreatmentTrends:
Multiple Sclerosis (EU) 2013 report finds that,
despite fewer than 30 percent of surveyed neurologists reporting access
to Genzyme's* Aubagio and Genzyme/Bayer
HealthCare's Lemtrada--and given the limited time these agents had been
available at the time the survey was fielded--these DMTs have
nevertheless captured a 1 percent physician-reported weighted MS patient
share. The data also reveal that surveyed neurologists anticipate
substantial changes in DMT use in the coming months as access to Aubagio
and Lemtrada expands and as new products, notably Biogen Idec's
Tecfidera, become available. Neurologists indicate that Aubagio will
most likely compete with first-line products (i.e., Biogen Idec's
Avonex, Bayer HealthCare's Betaferon and Teva's Copaxone), while
Tecfidera may replace these products as well as Merck Serono's
Rebif and Gilenya. Lemtrada, conversely, will most likely compete with
Tysabri or would not replace an existing DMT, suggesting anticipated use
as a last-line therapy.
"The European MS market is
entering a dynamic period with two recent
DMT launches and as many as six new DMTs launching in the next five
years," said Decision Resources Group Senior Business Insights Analyst
Georgiana L. Kuhlmann, S.M. "Our data find that gains for new brands
will likely come at the expense of the interferon-beta therapies and
Copaxone."
BioTrends Research Group provides syndicated and custom
primary market research to pharmaceutical manufacturers competing in
clinically evolving, specialty pharmaceutical markets.
Decision
Resources Group is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers
information and insights on sectors of the healthcare industry.
Teva
soaring out in front on a single product and it is no surprise that the
Generics pack are waiting in the rear ready for the copaxone patents to
expire starting May 2014. However Biogen are backing the most winners
with a staggering $5.8 billion worth of business. 
