GBI Research: Global Dermatology Pipeline Will See Shift Toward Increased Use of Biologics
The global dermatology pipeline, which currently comprises 850 products with a disclosed stage of development, is primarily made up of drugs at an early stage of development, with the late stages of the pipeline dominated by generics and biosimilars, according to GBI Research.
The company’s latest report, ‘Global Dermatology Drugs Market to 2023’, states that some 42 percent of the pipeline is in the Preclinical stage, while 14 percent is in the discovery stage and only 3 percent of drugs are in the Pre-registration stage. Around a third of the pipeline is in clinical development, and fewer than half are novel.
“The strong presence of biologics in the late-stage pipeline could have a considerable impact on treatment algorithms in the dermatology therapy area over the forecast period,” says Ross Wilkinson, Associate Analyst for GBI Research, in a news release. “Furthermore, these innovative therapies, which have only been used for a little over a decade, in primarily a single dermatological indication, were able to reap large commercial revenues – as illustrated by the success of Humira and Stelara for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis – and will continue to do so with the expected shift towards increased usage of biologics.”
Overall, the dermatology pipeline is highly innovative, owing to advancements in understanding the disease pathways of many skin disorders. The majority of dermatology pipeline assets are novel active pharmaceutical ingredients, with only a small proportion of products being either generics or repositioned from other indications.
According to GBI Research, 98 percent of products at the discovery phase are novel, and only 46 percent of pipeline products are novel at the Pre-registration stage, illustrating that the development of novel pipeline products confers a greater risk of failure.
“Nonetheless, there are still a notable number of novel molecules in late-stage development, which is indicative of a strong pipeline,” Wilkinson adds.