AstraZeneca’s drugs with potential in 2018

The pharmaceutical product sales of AstraZeneca declined by 5% in 2017, to which Onglyza, Symbicort, and Crestor, etc. could be said to have made "big contributions". The main reasons for that were patent expiration, generic drug competition, and drug price pressure, etc. However, according to the 2017 pharmaceutical product sales, the following drugs may bring good income to AstraZeneca in 2018: the oncology and CVMD diseases will be its main directions, wherein, the oncology drugs will account for the highest proportion.

Table 2 Sales of Partial Pharmaceutical Products of AstraZeneca in 2017

Also read: AstraZeneca:2018 Sale Directions from 2017 Financial Report and Chinese Market

Tagrisso (osimertinib)—for the treatment of patients with specific epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation (T790M)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whose disease has progressed after EGFR inhibitor therapy. Compared to 2016, the sales increase of Tagrisso was 126% in 2017, reaching USD 955 million, being the best-selling oncology drug of AstraZeneca in 2017. It’s worth mentioning that Tagrisso has been approved for marketing in more than 60 countries and regions led by the U.S. and Japan. Its sales separately grew by 59% and 90% in the U.S. and Japan in 2017, reaching USD 405 million and USD 219 million. AstraZeneca applied to the FDA to make the drug the first-line therapy of NSCLC, which received the breakthrough therapy designation in September 2017.

Lynparza (olaparib)—an oral poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor which treats ovarian cancer and exploits tumor DNA damage response (DDR) pathway deficiencies to kill cancer cells. It was first approved under the FDA’s Accelerated Approval program in December 2014, as a fourth-line therapy of advanced BRCA+ ovarian cancer; and then was approved by FDA in July 2017 as second-line maintenance treatment of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer, who are in a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. There have been 3 PARP inhibitors on the market. The sales of Lynparza reached USD 297 million in 2017, growing by 36%. Furthermore, the marketing application for olaparib as a second-line therapy of ovarian cancer in China in December 2017 was accepted by CDE in the same month, and the drug is expected to be approved for marketing in China in 2018 Q3. We can imagine how big the sales will the huge Chinese market contributes to AstraZeneca.

Imfinzi (durvalumab)—A human monoclonal antibody that targets PD-L1 for the treatment of advanced or metastatic urothelium carcinoma. Imfinzi received accelerated approval of FDA in May 2017 and became the world’s 4^th marketed anti-PD-(L)1 drug. Its sales were USD 19 million by 2018. Anti-PD-L1 drugs do not have better efficacy than anti-PD-1 drugs, but are still excellent among other drugs, with extensive potential indications.

Calquence (acalabrutinib)—A BTK inhibitor used to treat mantle cell lymphoma and able to block an enzyme needed by the cancer cell to multiply and spread. FDA announced the accelerated approval for the marketing of Calquence at the end of October 2017, which became the second BTK inhibitor approved, with sales reaching USD 3 million in two months.

Brilinta (ticagrelor)—A new selective small molecule anticoagulant. Its sales exceeded USD 1 billion to reach USD 1.079 billion in 2017, with 29% growth, and accounting for 7.2% of relevant global market. U.S. was still the main battleground of Brilinta, with sales reaching USD 509 million in 2017, accounting for 46% of the total.

Farxiga (dapagliflozin)—a sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It was approved for marketing by FDA in January 2014, being the 2^nd SGLT2 inhibitor, with 2017 sales also exceeding USD 1 billion to reach USD 1.074 billion, with 29% growth. The U.S. market contributed the largest part (USD 489 million) for the sales, but the growth there was only 7%, while that on the emerging markets reached 74%.

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