New Therapies Projected to Drive Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Market Growth

Spending on leukemia drugs are projected to soar over the next decade driven by a flood of new therapies.

The global treatment market for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) will increase from $342.7 million in 2014 to $932.6 million by 2024 at a compound annual growth rate of 10.5%, according to consulting firm GlobalData.

This growth across markets in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany, will be powered by new medication launches for AML patients with high unmet needs, according to GlobalData.

Currently, the largest unmet need is to improve overall survival among elderly AML patients, which is significantly lower than younger favorable-risk patients.

“Fulfilling this unmet need is a safe route to regulatory approval and commercial success. In this way, one of the major drivers of AML treatment sales across the 7 major markets will be the launch of premium-priced therapies for elderly AML patients, such as Ambit’s quizartinib,” said Sorcha Cassidy, PhD, GlobalData analyst covering oncology and hematology. “Other growth drivers will include an increasing branded drug treatment rate, a rising number of refractory/relapsed cases of AML across all age groups, and a growing desire to develop immunotherapies to treat AML patients.”

The report projects that over the next decade, the leading branded AML drug will be Vyxeos, which is forecast to garner estimated total sales of $131 million across the major market.

“GlobalData does not believe the efficacy of Vyxeos will be exceptional, but it will be an improvement on the current standard of care,” Cassidy said. “However, the drug’s premium price, the sizeable population of elderly AML patients, and the absence of immediate competition will drive higher sales from Vyxeos than any other pipeline or marketed product.”