Global Pharma Sales to Grow to $1.3 Trillion by 2018

Global pharma sales are to grow to $1.3 trillion by 2018, according to Thomson Reuters. The 2015 CMR Pharmaceutical R&D Factbook identifies a surge in global sales with 2014’s $1 trillion milestone and forecasts sales to reach $1.3 trillion by 2018. It also reveals a positive shift in new molecular entities (NMEs) with 46 launches in 2014; the highest in over a decade.

The study underscores a promising industry outlook with increases in sales and NME launches and with shifting trends in R&D pipeline volume and therapeutic areas as evidenced by these other key findings:

• Diversification increases NME launches: One third of 2014 launches were for rare indications, mainly within Anti-cancer. More than 65 percent were specialty drugs for the treatment of Anti-cancer, Hepatitis C Virus and HIV.

• Anti-cancer dominates: Anti-cancer development continues to attract the highest amount of investments across all therapeutic areas; with the majority of recent launches receiving orphan drug status from regulatory authorities.

• Increase in failing fast and cheaply: Phase III pipeline volumes are steadily growing due to the improved ability to “fail fast and cheaply,” increasing the speed of potentially successful compounds through development.

“This is an extraordinary year for pharma,” commented Basil Moftah, president, Thomson Reuters IP & Science. “Not only do  the critical insights provided by the Factbook challenge negative perceptions, but it demonstrates this industry’s continued commitment to creating and  employing  innovative solutions to tackle its largest hurdles.”

For more information see the CMR Factbook.