New Treatments to Boost Hep C Market to $19.2bn by 2016

The launch of interferon-free regimens is expected to boost the hepatitis C market from $2.9bn in 2013 to a peak of $19.2bn in 2016, according to independent analysts Datamonitor Healthcare.

The superior efficacy and tolerability of oral regimens is forecast to prompt a lucrative backlog of warehoused patients to initiate treatment, driving rapid growth of the market.

While competition for genotype-1 (GT-1) patients is likely to be fierce, Gilead stands to profit greatly from the scarcity of competition for the warehoused GT-2/3 population.

Sovaldi (sofosbuvir; Gilead) represents the first interferon-free regimen approved for GT-2/3 patients, whose treatment options have previously been limited to peginterferon alfa and ribavirin therapy. Datamonitor Healthcare forecasts that high uptake of Sovaldi in this subgroup will increase the commercial importance of this market segment, from 16% of the market in 2013 to 25% in 2022.

Michael Haydock, analyst at Datamonitor Healthcare said: “Warehoused patients represent a huge commercial opportunity, and therefore developers are looking to invest in public awareness programs and co-pay assistance schemes to encourage these patients to initiate treatment.”

“We expect co-pay schemes to be particularly important within the US given the anticipated high price of oral regimens.”