Although some of the top-selling drugs in the world are facing patent cliffs between now and then, many of them are still projected to continue being big sellers between now and 2024. A recent report by Evaluate Pharma estimates prescription drug sales will hit $1.18 trillion by 2024, driven by cell and gene therapies.
The report states, “The advances in cutting edge science are, for now, outpacing the traditional pricing and reimbursement systems the industry has been built on. This disconnect is leaving both patients and payers wondering how accessible these life-altering products will be.”
That said, many of the best-selling drugs in the world have been on the market since the late 1990s and are expected to continue strong sales.
Here’s a look at what Evaluate Pharma predicts will be the top-selling drugs from 2019 to 2024.
#1. Humira. AbbVie’s blockbuster drug for Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ulcerative colitis and ankylosing spondylitis is expected to rake in $103.95 billion from 2019 to 2024, despite looming biosimilar competition. AbbViebid to acquire Allergan for $63 billion in June. At least one of the reasons is to minimize its dependence on Humira.
#2. Lipitor. Yes, people still have high cholesterol, and Pfizer’s statin is still one of the best products to treat it. It is projected to bring in $15.76 billion from 2019 to 2024. Since its approval to 2018, the drug brought in $164.43 billion. It lost patent protection in 2011, causing sales to drop, but until recently it was considered the best-selling drug of all time.
#3. Enbrel. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 for rheumatoid arthritis, Amgen’s Enbrel is projected to rake in $31.66 billion from 2019 to 2024. The drug was originally developed by Immunex, which was acquired by Amgen in 2002. It has since picked up approvals for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, plaque psoriasis and pediatric plaque psoriasis.
#4. Rituxan. Genentech, a Roche company, received approval for Rituxan in 1997, a full 12 years before Roche acquired the biotech. Rituxan is approved for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, microscopic polyangiitis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis and pemphigus vulgaris. It is projected to hit $24.57 billion in sales from 2019 to 2024. It created $111.5 billion in sales in the 19 years it has been on the market.
#5. Revlimid. Celgene’s Revlimid was approved in 2008 for multiple myeloma and has since been indicated for myelodysplastic syndromes and mantle cell lymphoma. Sales from 2019 to 2024 are projected to hit $69.95 billion. Sales from 2008 to 2018 were $53.69 billion. The patent expires in 2022. Bristol-Myers Squibb acquired Celgene for $74 billion this year.
#6. Remicade. Janssen Biotech, a Johnson & Johnson company, received approval for Remicade in 1998. It was initially approved for Crohn’s disease and has since been approved for a range of inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis, pediatric Crohn’s disease, plaque psoriasis and pediatric ulcerative colitis. It is projected to have sales of $19.2 billion between now and 2024. It has raked in $98 billion from 1998 to 2018.
#7. Epogen. Another Amgen drug, Epogen was approved in 1989 for anemia related to chronic renal failure. It has since been approved for breast, non-small cell lung, head and neck, lymphoid and cervical cancers. Sales from 2019 to 2024 are estimated to hit $7.97 billion. Total sales to date have totaled $107.9 billion.
#8. Herceptin. Developed by Genentech, Herceptin was approved in 1998 for overexpressing breast cancer. It was later approved for HER2-positive metastatic stomach cancer. From 1998 to 2018, it brought in $87.97 billion in sales and is projected to hit sales of $26.92 billion between 2019 and 2024.
#9. Avastin. Also a Genentech/Roche drug, Avastin was approved in 2004 for metastatic colorectal cancer, but has since been given the thumbs-up for breast, lung, glioblastoma multiforme, renal cell carcinoma, cervical, ovarian, Fallopian tube and peritoneal cancers. From 2004 to 2018 sales were $87.13 billion. It is projected to bring in $27.14 billion from 2019 to 2024.
#10. Advair. Developed by GlaxoSmithKline, Advair is used to treat asthma and chronic bronchitis. It was approved in 1998 and from then to 2018, brought in $104.2 billion. It is projected to sell $9.41 billion from 2019 to 2024.
