Recent Data Collected by Spherix Global Insights Highlights Key US vs. EU Differences Between Perceptions and Adoption of Eli Lilly's Olumiant and Pfizer's Xeljanz for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Despite the introduction of Olumiant to the US market in June of 2018, Xeljanz has been able to maintain preference among stateside rheumatologists; however, in the EU, where Olumiant secured the first-to-market position, the story is quite different.
EXTON, Pa., Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysis of Spherix Global Insights' RealTime Dynamix™: Rheumatoid Arthritis market tracker and RealWorld Dynamix™: Biologic/JAK Switching in Rheumatoid Arthritis patient audit, including responses from US and European rheumatologists, reveals many similarities in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment but also some striking differences currently impacting treatment behaviors.
Olumiant's earlier launch in Europe has had a profound effect in prescription patterns: More than half of EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) rheumatologists report current use of Olumiant in the second half of 2018, a figure significantly greater than what is reported by their American counterparts. As a result, self-reported patient share for Olumiant in Europe was three times as high as in the US. Conversely, the near totality of American rheumatologists report current use of Xeljanz in Q4 of 2018, while just over half of those in the EU5 had done so by the end of 2018. Brand share follows the same pattern, with Pfizer's JAK capturing nearly three times more of the US market than what is reported across the EU5. Furthermore, share of the last five RA biologic/JAK prescriptions (new Rx) and future six-month share projections suggest continued outpacing of Olumiant over Xeljanz in Europe, and the converse in the US.
It should be noted that the approved labeling of each JAK has likely had a substantial impact on these preferences. For example, Xeljanz's once-daily XR formulation is not available in the EU5, whereas only the 2mg dose of Olumiant was approved in the US. Indeed, nearly half of EU5 rheumatologists agree that if Xeljanz was approved for once daily administration they would prescribe it more, while nearly 40% of US rheumatologists agree that they would prescribe substantially more Olumiant had the 4mg dosing been FDA approved.
Patient level chart data on the biologic/JAK switching markets in these geographies via Spherix's RealWorld Dynamix™ reports, which analyzed the records of over 2,300 recently switched RA patients, further corroborates the contrasts in JAK preferences. While the JAK class is equally popular in the RA switch environment, accounting for just under one-fifth of all recent switches in both the US and EU5, the distribution of the two specific brands varies dramatically between the two locations. Indeed, recently switched RA patients were a whopping sixteen times more likely to have recently been switched to Xeljanz than Lilly's JAK, while in the EU5, recently switched patients were just under twice as likely to be placed on Olumiant over Xeljanz. Indeed, EU5 rheumatologists participating in this study report that they are significantly more comfortable with Olumiant's risk-benefit profile than their US counterparts.
Leading JAKs in development, such as AbbVie's upadacitinib and Gilead/Galapagos' filgotinib, will need to enter the market with the ability to differentiate themselves in this increasingly competitive field. Spherix Global Insights will continue to track the evolution of JAK adoption, as well as the impact on RA biologics, in both the US and EU5 via their 2019 RealTime Dynamix™ and RealWorld Dynamix™ report series.
About RealTime Dynamix™
The RealTime Dynamix™ Rheumatoid Arthritis (US) report series (n=100 rheumatologists per quarter) provides a detailed and timely look at current and future trends in the RA market and the effects of the future shifting landscape. The next US wave of this study will field in February 2019 and will continue to track the launch of Olumiant and Kevzara, uptake of biosimilars, as well as the overall evolving US RA market. The next bi-annual wave of a parallel study tracking the evolution of the European RA market, RealTime Dynamix™ Rheumatoid Arthritis (EU), will field in Q2 2019 (n=250 rheumatologists per wave).
About RealWorld Dynamix™
RealWorld Dynamix™: Biologic/JAK Switching in RA (US) is a robust and deep patient chart analysis of 1,074 RA patients who were switched from one biologic or JAK to a different brand in the past three months. The 2018 audit (n=211 rheumatologists) is the third annual wave of this report and includes trending back to 2016. A parallel audit, RealWorld Dynamix™: Biologic/JAK Switching in RA (EU), examines the charts of 1,235 RA patients in the EU5 (France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK), who were switched from on from one biologic/JAK to another brand), submitted by 320 rheumatologists.
About Spherix Global Insights
Spherix Global Insights is an independent business intelligence and market research company, specializing in renal, autoimmune, neurologic and rare disease markets. Our aim is to apply our commercial experience and unique relationships within core specialty markets to translate data into insight, enabling our clients to make smarter business decisions.
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www.spherixglobalinsights.com
SOURCE Spherix Global Insights
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