New drugs from Abbvie, Gilead, Intercept and Merck forecast to achieve blockbuster status by 2020

Annual ‘Drugs to Watch’ study spotlights seven emerging blockbusters poised to enter the market in 2016.

These projections are detailed in the annual Drugs to Watch 2016 report, which mines pharmaceutical industry data to forecast the new therapeutics with the largest marketplace potential.

The two new drugs projected to exceed $2 billion in annual sales are a chronic liver disease treatment from Intercept Pharmaceuticals and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma with the chemical name obeticholic acid II) and an anti-HIV-1 infection treatment from Gilead Sciences and Japan Tobacco which combines the chemicals emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide. A key trend in 2016 is the continued development of more convenient fixed-dose, all-oral regimens for HIV and HCV (Hepatitis C).

“The relationship between drug prices and the costs of development is expected to be a major focal point for drug companies, investors, regulators and politicians this year,” said Richard Harrison, Chief Scientific Officer, Intellectual Property & Science, Thomson Reuters. “With the rise of global healthcare costs, the need to demonstrate meaningful impact will be greater than ever for pharmaceutical companies. These seven drugs are likely to figure prominently in those discussions.”

Having accurately anticipated that 11 new potential blockbuster drugs would enter the market in 2015 - all of which are still forecast to reach blockbuster status by 2019 (with the exception of Gardasil 9, for which forecasts were not available as of January 2016) - the Drugs to Watch report addresses a new line-up of significant therapeutics for the year ahead.

Thomson Reuters analysts utilized Cortellis Competitive Intelligence, the pharmaceutical industry’s leading source for drug pipeline, deals, patents, and company content to forecast the new-to-market drugs expected to lead the pack in sales and potentially emerge as blockbusters (earning $ 1 billion+) by 2020.