Dry eye market expansion insights given from pharma’s point of view
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There are three reasons to be encouraged by the continued expansion of the dry eye market, according to a presenter at the OIS Dry Eye Innovation Showcase.
One is that a new product introduction may bolster the total market rather than “cannibalize” it, Donald Fishbein, MBA, president of Evolve Therapeutics, said, citing the launch of Xiidra (lifitegrast, Novartis) as an example. Fishbein noted that it is also worth watching whether market expansion will continue following the recent FDA approval of Eysuvis (loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.25%; Kala Pharmaceuticals).
A second reason to be optimistic from a pharmaceutical company’s perspective is because there are more patients who are diagnosed with dry eye disease than are treated with a therapeutic agent, he said. Whereas about 2.3 million patients have been diagnosed with disease of the lacrimal gland, only about 1 million patients with the disease have been prescribed therapeutics, he said.
“The number of diagnosed patients is more than twice as high as the number of patients who have been treated with a therapeutic, which is tremendously exciting if you're one of the companies coming out with a new therapy,” Fishbein said.
Finally, the dry eye market may see encouraging expansion if companies take a segmented approach to target niche markets.
Fishbein recommends considering gender (prescribing prevalence of 81% in females vs. 19% in males), age groups (prescribing prevalence of 39% in patients aged 71 years or older vs. 85% in patients aged 51 years and older) and geography (28% of all prescribing occurs in the top five U.S. metro areas) as markets to engage.
“As it exists today, there are many more undiagnosed and untreated patients in the marketplace,” Fishbein said. “For emerging companies, it’s important to understand the marketplace. Especially as it becomes increasingly complex, analyzing the market and planning your approach will be critical for your success.”
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Fishbein D, Subramaniam A. Dry eye market – insights from Rx. Presented at: OIS Dry Eye Innovation Showcase; March 11, 2021 (virtual meeting).
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