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Leading Five Pharma Companies Generated 42% of Total Blockbuster Sales in 2010 - Hypertension, Hypercholesterolemia and Diabetes were the Top Three Indications
Munich, 24. July 2011 - Pfizer, Merck & Co., Roche, AstraZeneca, and Novartis Achieved a Turnover of US$ 151 billion with their Drugs Listed in the Top 200 Products sold in 2010 - Novumed's Smart Phone Applet Provides Comprehensive Sales Data by Product and Indication.
In 2010, the top 200 selling drugs generated total revenues of US$ 360 billion. Thereof US$ 151 billion (42%) were turned over by products of the leading five pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Merck & Co, Roche, AstraZeneca, and Novartis. While Pfizer dominated the list of the top 200 best-selling products with sales of US$ 42 billion, Merck & Co., Roche, and Astra Zeneca followed with about US$ 30 billion each while Novartis contributed US$ 21 billion.
Lipitor® (atorvastatin), which lowers blood cholesterol in hypercholesterolemia, was the global top selling product in 2010. It generated sales of US$ 11.8 billion (versus 2009: decrease of 5%) and was marketed by Pfizer and Astellas. The second most commonly sold drug worldwide was Plavix® (clopidogrel), an anti-platelet agent that inhibits the formation of blood clots following myocardial infarction. Although its sales decreased by 10% compared to 2009, it still generated revenues of US$ 8.9 billion for Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol Myers Squibb. These top two blockbusters reflect diseases of the heart being the leading cause of death worldwide according to the WHO, but they will lose patent protection in 2011 and 2012 as reported by Reuters.
Top 10 best-selling drugs in 2010 by company, revenues and indications
Source: Novumed?s Pharma Blockbuster 200, Companies? Annual Reports
Seretide®/Advair® (fluticasone, salmeterol) of GSK, an anti-inflammatory bronchodilator used in the management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), was the number three blockbuster with US$ 7.9 billion sales in 2010 (versus 2009: increase of 3%). Chronic lower respiratory diseases were in fact also the number three leading cause of death in the US in 2009.
The analysis of revenues by therapeutic area revealed that the highest turnovers were achieved by drugs targeting the central nervous system (CNS), metabolic diseases, and cancer. In the CNS, 33 products generated US$ 58.7 billion, 2.3% less than in 2009. The revenues in metabolic diseases increased by 7.9% to a total of US$ 56.7 billion and were generated by 28 products. In oncology, 22 products achieved a turnover of US$ 46.2 billion corresponding to a slight increase of 1.4% compared to 2009.
Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes were the top three indications based on their consolidated revenues in 2010. In all three indications each generated approximately US$ 25 billion. While 12 products achieved this turnover in hypertension with a slight decreases of 2.4%, only seven products in hypercholesterolemia generated sales of US$ 24.9 billion corresponding to an increase of 16.1%. Also the 12 top selling diabetes drugs showed an increase of 7.4%. Overall, the highest increase was seen in sales of HIV drugs with 31.4% compared to 2009.
Consolidated revenues of the 200 best-selling drugs in 2010 by indication
Source: Novumed?s Pharma Blockbuster 200, Companies? Annual Reports
The comprehensive analysis of 2010 sales data by product and indication is available on the Novumed free smart phone applet on the global pharma blockbuster 200 which is updated every year. The applet is available for iPhone, Blackberry, Android (Google), and Opera-Mini (Nokia) phones. Users simply need to open www.novumed.com in their browser and click on the Pharma Blockbuster 200 link. iPhone users can save this link as an applet on their main screen.
About Novumed GmbH Life Science Consulting
Novumed is an international top management consulting firm specializing in the life science industry. It primarily serves companies from industries, such as biotech, pharma and medical equipments. Novumed has a highly qualified team with complementary skills in medicine, business administration and biochemistry. Its experienced management consultants formerly worked with market leaders such as Fresenius Medical Care and Boston Consulting. The strategy consulting firm supports its customers in innovations management, market analysis, and portfolio strategies. Novumed's client base includes global pharmaceutical and medtech firms as well as smaller biotech and Venture Capital firms.
In collaboration with a USAmerican partner, European health care clients are supported internationally with topics such as international business development, the development of market strategies for the US as well as intercontinental mergers and acquisitions.
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