Lyme Disease - Drug Pipeline Analysis and Market Forecasts to 2016

17 Mar 2010 • by Natalie Aster

GlobalData, the industry analysis specialist, has released its latest report, “Lyme Disease - Drug Pipeline Analysis and Market Forecasts to 2016” which provides the key data, information and analysis on the Lyme disease market. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the annualized market data from 2001 to 2009, and forecast seven years to 2016. The research also includes market characterization, opportunities, the unmet needs associated with Lyme disease, a competitive assessment, the product profiles of the major marketed products and the promising drugs in the pipeline, an overview of the discontinued projects, the implications for the future market competition, and the key players in the Lyme disease market.

The Lyme Disease Market is Forecast To Grow at a Steady Rate Between 2009 and 2016

GlobalData estimated that the Lyme disease market was worth $2.2m in 2009. The major reason for the limited market revenues is that there is no approved drug for Lyme disease treatment. Antibiotics such as doxycycline, cefuroxime and amoxicillin are currently used off-label. The patent protection of all these antibiotics expired long ago and many generic versions of the antibiotics are available very cheaply. In 2009, the annual cost of therapy for Lyme disease with antibiotics was $81. Between 2001 and 2009, the Lyme disease market grew only at a CAGR of 6.1%. The late-stage pipeline for the Lyme disease market is very weak and is entirely made up of antibiotics that are currently used as off-label drugs. Therefore, even though these drugs will receive regulatory approval for the Lyme disease market, the entry of antibiotics is expected to have a negligible impact on the market in terms of sales value and volume. Overall, between 2009 and 2016, the Lyme disease market is expected to grow at a CAGR of only 4.8% to reach $3.1m by 2016.

The Current Competition in the Lyme Disease Market is Strong

GlobalData found that the current competition in the Lyme disease market is strong. The currently used antibiotics are effective against the disease. Antibiotics are normally used in the early stages of Lyme disease and the drugs effectively treat the disease with minimum side effects. Antibiotics are prescribed to be taken orally or intravenously in patients with late stage persistent Lyme disease to treat symptoms such as early arthritis, skin rashes, joint problems, late nervous system problems, or heart problems. The majority of the early-stage patients treated with antibiotics never test positive for Lyme disease again. This indicates that the market is well served by antibiotics.

The Lyme Disease Market is Well Served by the Use of Off-Label Antibiotics

GlobalData found that the Lyme disease market is well served by the currently available off-label treatment options. The antibiotics used in Lyme disease treatment effectively treat patients and the patient compliance rate for the drugs is high. However, unmet need still exists in the Lyme disease market in terms of safety and the lack of approved vaccines. These unmet needs can be effectively addressed by vaccines that are effective and safe in treating the disease. Vaccines not only treat the patients who already have Lyme disease but also prevent normal people contracting the disease.

GlobalData expects that two vaccines will enter the Lyme disease market after 2016. The market entry of these vaccines will positively affect the market and the market will grow at a significantly faster pace compared to the present market growth rate.

Weak Pipeline Hindering the Future Growth of the Lyme Disease Market

GlobalData found that the pipeline in the Lyme disease market is weak. There are only five molecules in the current pipeline. Of the five molecules, 20% are in Phase III, 20% are in Phase II and the remaining 60% are in early-stage development. The late-stage clinical development pipeline is very weak. The majority of the late-stage development molecules are antibiotics being used as off-label drugs in the Lyme disease market. These molecules are very likely to receive regulatory approval. However, the entry of these drugs is not expected to have a positive impact on the Lyme disease market because the patent protection for these drugs has already expired and cheaper generic versions are widely available in the market.

The early-stage pipeline contains two vaccines. One vaccine is being developed by Baxter Vaccines while the other vaccine is being developed by Intercell AG. Preclinical studies on these vaccines reported positive results in the treatment of Lyme disease. It may take approximately seven to nine years for these drugs to enter the market. However, once they enter the market, they are expected to significantly affect the growth of the market.


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