European Cardiovascular Drugs Markets

This research examines the European Cardiovascular Market in terms of the challenges faced by market participants, drivers and restraints in the industry, the competitive structure in the major markets, the revenue forecasts and growth rates and strategic recommendations.

Research Overview

This Frost & Sullivan research service entitled European Cardiovascular Drugs Market Analysis analyses the key industry challenges that cardiovascular companies are facing, as well as major drivers and restraints governing the market. It also offers strategic recommendations to overcome these challenges and ensure future growth and prospects. In this research service, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following segments of the European cardiovascular drugs market: antihypertensives, antidyslipidemics, antithrombotics and antiarrhythmics.

Market Overview

Patent Expiry a Huge Challenge for Pharmaceutical Companies

Seven of the world’s top 25 selling drugs are cardiovascular drugs, and of these, three are cholesterol-lowering agents. This clearly demonstrates the importance of the cardiovascular drugs market, which generates the maximum revenues in the overall pharmaceuticals industry. Within this market, antihypertensives form the largest segment due to sustained growth of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). Antidyslipidemics also have immense growth potential due to the growing number of people suffering from cholesterol, while antithrombotics have recorded the highest growth among the various segments in recent years due to the predominance of blockbuster drugs in this segment.

However, impending patent expiry on many best-selling drugs is a major challenge for pharmaceutical companies. Patent expiry on any one of a company’s blockbuster products is likely to impact its profit margins considerably. Loss of patents for a company that had focused on blockbuster drugs would reduce exclusivity and adversely affect its revenue growth, especially since cardiovascular drug sales account for nearly half of a company's annual revenue in some cases. "Pharmaceutical companies can adopt various key strategies to sustain growth such as using combination therapies to extend the life of the original product and adding value through drug delivery technologies," says the analyst of this research service. "They can also explore addressing unmet needs in the market to create new growth opportunities and add value through clinical differentiation."

Adding Value through Drug Discovery Technologies can Help Sustain Growth

With patent expiry posing a major threat to pharmaceutical companies, many of them have started using drug delivery technologies to give formulators a value-added opportunity to develop innovative, therapeutically enhanced alternatives. "By developing an enhanced version with therapeutic benefits such as improved efficacy, or dosing frequency or new therapeutic indications, patented drug companies can extend exclusivity," says the analyst. "This will allow them to compete more effectively against generics and branded products."

Ideally, companies need to examine drug delivery technologies as a potential way to add value much before patent expiry. They must develop enhanced products at least two to three years before loss of exclusivity if they wish to gain an edge in the market. By analysing the generic threat during the research phase itself, companies can formulate appropriate strategies and identify potential development partners that could help them maintain the post-patent value of products.

Market Sectors

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

• Antihypertensives
• Antidyslipidemics
• Antithrombotics
• Antiarrhythmics

Technologies

The following technologies are covered in this research:

• Targeted molecular imaging
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Positron emission tomography (PET)