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Monday
3 Blockbuster Drugs Losing Patent Protection in 2013's Final Months
Rebif: A long-standing MS drug reaches the end. The next big drug on our list comes from German drugmaker Merck KGaA. Merck KGaA's standout multiple sclerosis drug Rebif, which it markets in a co-promotion agreement with Pfizer, will lose patent protection at the end of December.
Rebif pulled in around $2.5 billion last year at 7.5% sales growth for Merck KGaA, and it wouldn't be surprising if the drug continued on its strong course this year. Rebif has long been an industry standard for MS drugs to match up against.
Rebif's patent loss will certainly hit Merck KGaA hard. Don't expect too much of a drop for Pfizer's stake in Rebif, however. Pfizer links Rebif's revenue in with several other drugs it pulls in revenue from through alliances and partnerships, but the sales from such agreements totaled up to less than $1.6 billion through the first half of the year -- less than the sales of each of Pfizer's top three drugs.
Rebif's fall is also a turning point in the MS market. The drug is one of the old guard of injectable MS therapies, and new oral MS medications such as Novartis's stellar blockbuster Gilenya has taken this market by storm. Gilenya, only approved in 2010, roared to sales of $518 million in the third quarter of 2013 alone, and if Novartis' drug stays on course, it'll easily exceed earlier analyst projections of around $2 billion in peak annual sales. Rebif's loss of patent protection might signal a loss for Merck KGaA and other companies involved in this fading market, but it's a huge opportunity for Novartis and other oral MS therapy makers to lead this market's future.
FULL STORY
Labels: Gilenya
