Colorectal cancer (CRC) and has a higher mortality rate than either prostate or breast cancer.
In 2003, PhRMA estimated that there were 48 CRC drugs either in clinical development or under review by the FDA.
However, in 2004 the FDA approved two new treatments: Erbitux (cetuximab) and Avastin (bevacizumab) for first-line treatment of metastatic CRC in combination with 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. Avastin is the first anti-angiogenesis cancer drug approved by the FDA for first-line therapy. Several other drugs have been filed or are in late-stage clinical development for CRC.
Key points
- CRC is the third most common cancer in men and women.
- Sales of CRC drugs generated US$3.2 billion sales in 2004 equating to approximately 13% of global oncology sales in 2004.
- Combination therapy with 5-fluorouracil based chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment of metastatic CRC but greater emphasis is being placed on early screening which can result in over 90% five-year survival rate compared to a 65% survival rate when identified later.
Questions answered by this chapter include:
- How much is the CRC market expected to grow by 2012?
- Roche looks set to dominate the CRC treatment market with Xeloda and Avastin - what are the prospects for Erbitux (ImClone/BMS/Merck KGaA) and Eloxatin (sanofi-aventis)?
- Which companies are leading the way in the development of VEGF inhibitors, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?
- CRC is an opportunity area as we forecast that only 5 new products are expected to launch by 2010. By 2012, what % of the global CRC sales will these products represent?
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