Results from a study conducted by Majestic Research suggest that Bristol Myers Squibb's Orencia, Johnson & Johnson's Remicade, and Amgen's/Wyeth's Enbrel will forfeit share of the rheumatoid arthritis market to Roche's newly launched Actemra. Early switching data from Majestic’s proprietary panel of rheumatologists indicates that Orencia may be the biggest loser of all, as 54% of switches to Actemra thus far have been from Orencia.
“Surprisingly, we learned that there is a major disconnect between how physicians and managed care organizations view the future of reimbursement for biologics”
In a study published this week titled Event Pulse: Actemra & the Biologics Market, Majestic Research found that there is a sizeable position for Actemra in the rheumatoid arthritis treatment paradigm. Actemra’s ability to break into the rheumatoid arthritis market has been a topic of debate since the drug was granted a narrow approval by the FDA, limiting its use to rheumatoid arthritis patients who have been inadequate responders to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) biologic therapies, such as market leaders Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade. Data from a survey conducted in February by Majestic Research indicates that 91% of US rheumatologists are somewhat to very familiar with Actemra, and 39% have already adopted the drug. After only one and a half months on the market, Actemra appears on track to quickly penetrate the rheumatology market.
In addition, Event Pulse: Actemra & the Biologics Market assesses the impact of copay assistance programs on the biologics market for rheumatoid arthritis. Proprietary data from Majestic’s panel of 110 rheumatologists showed that in 2009, there was a tremendous 150% Y/Y surge in the issuance of coupons for two of the leading biologic drugs. As a follow-up to this observation, Majestic surveyed rheumatologists and pharmacy directors at managed care organizations to gauge the impact of these patient assistance offerings on prescribing decisions and reimbursement protocols. “Surprisingly, we learned that there is a major disconnect between how physicians and managed care organizations view the future of reimbursement for biologics,” said Karen Cundari, lead healthcare equity research analyst at Majestic Research. Cundari noted that several competing market forces make this a pivotal time for the rheumatoid arthritis market and that Majestic will be monitoring this space on a real-time basis to see how things play out.
Event Pulse: Actemra & the Biologics Market encompasses analysis of a targeted Internet survey of 75 rheumatologists, 6 in-depth telephone interviews with pharmacy directors at major managed care organizations, and proprietary longitudinal treatment data from a panel of 110 rheumatologists spanning 2005-2010. This report takes an in-depth look at how new competition is shaking up the rheumatoid arthritis market. The study also assesses how the rheumatoid arthritis reimbursement landscape is changing and whether insurance companies are restricting access to particular biologic drugs.
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