New Drugs Heading to Australia in 2018-19

Nine new  drugs headed our way soon.  A series of new ‘blockbuster’ drugs are expected to hit Australian shores in the next 12-24 months, a new report claims. According to a report by industry newsletter Pharma In Focus there are 12 new drugs set to be launched on the market this year, with nine of them expected in Australia.

The report, by pharma market forecaster Clarivate Analytics is predicting a bumper year for big-selling new medicines, with the 12 named drugs expected to top US$1 bn in sales internationally.

Among the drugs of most relevance to pharmacy are type 2 diabetes drug Steglatro (MSD), which is on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) March meeting agenda, another diabetes treatment – Ozempic (semaglutide), from Novo Nordisk – and endometriosis painkiller Elagolix, from Abbvie.

There is also a new GSK shingles vaccine, Shingrix, which the report says is “set to become the market leading shingles vaccine”.

One of the most interesting of the new treatments, Sublocade, a once–monthly buprenorphine treatment, requires an Australian license. According to the Clarivate report: “Sublocade looks set to disrupt the market for medication-assisted treatment to overcome opioid use disorder”.

It is administered via subcutaneous injection once a month by a healthcare provider and does not require a detox period, thereby addressing the limitations of other treatment options.

Click here for more from the initial report.

Source: ajp.com.au/news/blockbuster-alert/?utm_source=AJP+Daily&utm_campaign=99ea164763-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cce9c58212-99ea164763-109985429