Combo Therapies Draw Pharma's Attention

The recent surge in the developmentof new combination therapies mayprove lucrative for the pharmaceuticalindustry, especially as a strategy to offsetdeclines in the market share of particularproducts. The finding stems fromthe report "Defending Brand Revenue:Pharmaceutical Lifecycle ManagementPlanning." The report includes an examinationof 24 leading pharmaceuticallife-cycle management (LCM) organizations,case studies outlining LCM cases,LCM tactical costs and effectiveness,and strategies for brand managers to useto increase profits.

The data collected showed that globalinvestments for new combinationdrugs average $65 million. The companiesincluded in the study, however,indicated that these costs can rangefrom $40 million to $120 million. Thefinancial windfall and commercial benefitsare not the only advantages withcombination therapies. New combinationproducts can provide patients withadditional efficacy benefits, and physiciansoften prefer combination treatmentswhen appropriate because theyhelp alleviate patient compliance issues.