BioSpace report....... “Keytruda Set to Becom
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“Keytruda Set to Become World’s Top-Selling Drug, Forecast Shows”
https://www.biospace.com/article/keytruda-set...ast-shows/
Published: Oct 04, 2019 By Alex Keown
“While Humira being the top-selling drug is on the decline due to increased competition and expiring patents, another drug is set to take the number-one position. With the continued regulatory wins, it should be no surprise that Merck’s Keytruda is poised to assume the best-selling drug mantle.
AbbVie’s Humira brought in more than $20 billion in revenue in 2018, making it the king-of-the-hill for global drug sales. But by 2023, Humira will have lost its patent protection in the United States and that revenue stream will begin to dwindle as new drugs will begin to chip away at its market share. For example, in November 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Sandoz’ Hyrimoz, a biosimilar to Humira, but due to the patent protection, it cannot be launched in the U.S. until 2023.
Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab), on the other hand, continues to rack up regulatory approvals and is proving to be the tent-pole therapy for Merck’s oncology pipeline. During an Investor’s Day conference in June, Merck's Chief Commercial Officer Frank Clyburn said in a short time, Keytruda has become a foundational cancer treatment. “We have activity across 25 different cancer types… and Keytruda is changing the way in which patients are being treated today,” Clyburn said at the time.”