Overview of the Global Oncology and Supportive Care Drug Market

During oncology treatment, besides extending the survival to the endpoint of therapy, improving the patient survival quality becomes increasingly important, however, the tumor supportive care market has experienced quite limit growth in the past few years, compared to the growing global oncology market.

Global Oncology and Supportive Care Costs, Unit: USD 1 billion

Growth Rates for Global Oncology and Supportive Care Costs

The tumor supportive care includes palliative care and hospice care, and the drug therapy is mainly the adjuvant therapy during the chemotherapy, mainly for: chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), cancer cachexia, oral mucositis, bone metastasis, chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, and chemotherapy-induced anemia.

• CINV

There are mainly 3 products for the CINV: steroid hormone, 5-HT3 receptor agonist, and NK1 receptor agonist, wherein, the aprepitant for injection of Merck is the product leading in the sales, however, the current marketed products are most for control of vomiting instead of the nausea, and injections are more convenient than oral liquid for the patients’ use.

• Cancer cachexia

It is a syndrome characterized by presentation of anorexia, weight loss, anemia, weakness, and failure, etc., and loss of skeletal muscle and fat of the cancer patients. Currently no product is approved for this indication. Megestrol acetate is currently used clinically to improve the appetite and body mass of patients with advanced tumors, but the effect is limited.

• Oral mucositis

The oral mucositis drug market is quite limited. Currently mouthwash or some gel for external use is used clinically to mitigate the deterioration, but patients still feel discomfort in their oral cavity, and no product can prevent oral mucositis.

• Bone metastasis

There are mainly three drugs on the bone metastasis drug market, wherein, the traditional bisphosphonates have been widely used with many generic drugs marketed. The alpha particle-emitting isotope radium-223 marketed in the U.S. in 2013 is less used, with an expensive price and common adverse reaction of pain.

• Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factors (G-CSFs) still dominate the chemotherapy-induced neutropenia drug market. Amgen’s long-acting G-CSF Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) leads on the market, however, many biosimilars have been approved in different countries and regions.

• Chemotherapy-induced anemia

The erythropoietin preparations dominate the chemotherapy-induced anemia drug market: J & J’s Procrit/Eprex/Epogen (epoetin alfa) was the one earliest approved in 1989, and currently the main leading product is the long-acting erythropoietin, and many biosimilars have been approved in different countries and regions.

Currently, the tumor supportive care is challenging in the R&D due to limited mechanism research and subjectivity, and imperfect clinical endpoint criteria. Some products in development are marketed through the strategy of convenient taking method and dosage form improvement, and even the small improvements can help ease the burden of tumors and relevant diseases.

Author: April Chen

Source: Sina Medicine

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