Projected intrusion of generics into dyslipidemia market on patent expiries

A report notes that the patent expiries of Zocor and Pravachol will trigger a shift in prescribing behavior as many HMOs remove the branded equivalents from their formularies. The report forecasts that widespread generics substitution will offset the impact of new product launches and will cause annual sales in the dyslipidemia market to grow by only 0.1% annually through 2014.

"In Europe, the transfer of patient share from branded statins to generic simvastatin is already a prominent dynamic, and we expect a similar trend in the United States," said Nikhil Mehta, analyst at Decision Resources, Inc. "Although new therapies that target low high-density lipoprotein levels will address an important unmet need and add to market value, experts in the field remain uncertain as to whether their mechanisms of action will indeed confer clinical benefit."