The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7203 p861-867
22 June 2002

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Blockbuster drugs hard to come by

Eighteen new pharmaceutical products with the potential to reach blockbuster status (annual sales of more than $1bn) are expected to reach the market by 2008, according to analyst Datamonitor.

Datamonitor predicts that by 2008 the 18 blockbusters will have total sales of $24bn (£16bn). Of these, nearly half will be for cardiovascular indications. AstraZeneca is reckoned to have the best pipeline with three products in development that may see sales of $7.2bn by 2008. Eli Lilly is also expected to do well with three major and three minor products to come.

Five companies face problems, Datamonitor predicts, despite spending over $1bn on research and development in 2001. Johnson & Johnson, Aventis, Pharmacia, Roche and Wyeth do not have any late-stage blockbuster products, it believes.

"The new generation of blockbusters: pipeline potential 2002–08" is available from Datamonitor, Charles House, 108–110 Finchley Road, London NW3 5JJ (tel 020 7675 7824), price $1,500.