Cardiovascular Drug Discoveries 2008: what the future holds

This market analysis provides an unparalleled comparative study of key research in 6 leading cardiovascular market sectors, unique and original market forecasts and critical analyses and competitive ratings for upcoming products.

Cardiovascular disease is a global problem. In the developed world, its prevalence is linked to our increasingly unhealthy lifestyle, with risk factors including lack of exercise, overweight and obesity, and smoking. These are also linked to diabetes which increases the risk of developing heart disease.

The global desire for cheaper generic drugs has been putting increasing pressure on the research-based industry, which finds itself having to defend its patents in the courts to ward off generic competition for as long as possible. Legal battles are won and lost on both sides; either way, patents eventually expire and generic competition is inevitable.

But what of the future? Opportunities for new therapies exist in both main and niche markets - the latter being relatively uncompetitive and where there is high unmet clinical need, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Among the market leaders, several will lose, or have recently lost, patent protection in major markets over the next few years. The resulting loss in revenue for the research-based industry can be dramatic.

For example, following peak sales of US$5,580 million in 2002, Merck & Co' s Zocor (simvastatin) lost its basic patent protection in Canada and a number of countries in Europe, including the UK and Germany in 2003. Sales subsequently declined in these countries as a result of generic competition.

The US patent on Zocor finally expired on 23rd June 2006, following six months paediatric extension. The FDA approved two generics with 180-days market exclusivity, resulting in a downturn in sales of Zocor to US$2.8 billion for the full year. The entry of multiple generics onto the market from December 2006, however, resulted in a dramatic fall in sales of Zocor in 2007, to US$876 million. The effect of generic simvastatin was not, however, confined to Zocor but rippled through the market, impacting sales of Pfizer' s Lipitor (atorvastatin) in the short term.

• Unique sales forecasts for key new and current products to 2012
• A comprehensive examination of 6 major cardiovascular therapy areas
• Critical analyses and competitive ratings for current and upcoming products

• Cholesterol and Triglycerides
• Hypertension
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Thrombosis