Clarivate Unveils 2024's Top 13 Drugs to Watch: Blockbuster Potential and Therapeutic Innovation

According to the Zhisheng Finance APP, Clarivate, a data analytics company, recently released the "2024 Drugs to Watch Forecast," listing 13 drugs that have been recently launched or are about to be launched with the potential to be game-changers. These include aflibercept (high-dose), budesonide, and others.

It is reported that Clarivate's drug forecast focuses on introducing drugs that have been recently launched or are likely to enter the market this year, and have the potential to become blockbusters and/or change the treatment paradigm within the next five years (a blockbuster is defined as a drug that typically reaches annual sales of $1 billion).

Henry Levy, President of Clarivate's Life Sciences and Healthcare Business Unit, stated: "New technology platforms that may achieve significant proof-of-concept in 2024 include CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing as well as the application of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) tools in drug discovery, clinical development, and commercial launch. In the long term, the latter technology holds tremendous potential to help pharmaceutical manufacturers reduce costs and shorten innovation cycles, thereby delivering more innovative drugs to patients more quickly."

Clarivate Report Focuses on the Following Drugs:

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (REGN.US) recently launched its ophthalmology drug Aflibercept (high dose), which tops the list.

Aflibercept is used to treat patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), or diabetic retinopathy (DR). Clarivate stated, "High-dose aflibercept can achieve efficacy and safety similar to the current standard treatments (aflibercept 2 mg/Eylea administered every 8 weeks or Novartis' Lucentis® administered every 4 weeks by Genentech) with less frequent dosing."

Clarivate predicts that the sales of Aflibercept (high dose) in wet AMD patients in the G7 market will reach $1.77 billion by 2027.

Calliditas Therapeutics (CALT.US) ranks second with its extended-release corticosteroid formulation, budesonide.

Clarivate stated that, compared with traditional corticosteroids, the budesonide sustained-release formulation has demonstrated greater efficacy in reducing primary immunoglobulin A (IgA) and slowing renal function decline, while also exhibiting better safety characteristics. Therefore, the product may have high acceptance among high-risk patients.

Datopotamab deruxtecan, a cancer treatment drug jointly developed by AstraZeneca (AZN.US) and Daiichi-Sankyo, ranks third.

Clarivate stated that with its potential to become the best-in-class TROP2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), datopotamab deruxtecan is poised to capture the second-largest market share in the HR-positive/HER2-negative and triple-negative breast cancer markets (second only to Trodelvy®; Gilead Sciences) and can enter the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) market.

Efanesoctocog alfa, a Factor VIII (FVIII) replacement therapy administered via intravenous infusion, ranked fourth on the list.

Sanofi (SNY.US) holds the rights to develop and commercialize efanesoctocog alfa in the United States, while Sobi is responsible for the drug's development and sales in Europe and other markets.

Clarivate stated that, compared to currently available FVIII treatments, efanesoctocog alfa can help reduce the burden of injection frequency for patients. For those unwilling to accept novel therapies (such as mAb or gene therapy), efanesoctocog alfa may be an attractive option.

Verona Pharma's (VRNA.US) investigational therapeutic drug ensifentrine has also become one of the drugs of interest to Clarivate.

Clarivate's report indicates that ensifentrine is an inhaled dual inhibitor of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and PDE4, expected to reduce exacerbations of moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) without causing systemic side effects like current oral PDE inhibitors. If approved, it will be the first of its kind and the first novel mechanism for maintenance treatment of COPD in over a decade.

Clarivate also favors CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP.US) / Vertex Pharma (VRTX.US)'s Exagamglogene autotemcel and Bluebird Bio (BLUE.US)'s Lovotibeglogene autotemcel.These two therapies aim to address the root causes of sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia with a single administration, enabling patients to achieve a state free from transfusion dependence or vascular occlusive crisis (VOC), thereby significantly improving their quality of life and physical functioning.

Clarivate stated that exagamglogene autotemcel and lovotibeglogene autotemcel could be breakthrough drugs for patient populations suffering from debilitating diseases with severely impaired quality of life, where currently only limited symptomatic treatments are available and no curative treatments exist.

In addition, Clarivate'sThe list also includes Eli Lilly's (LLY.US) Mirikizumab, Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.US) Niraparib + Abiraterone Acetate, Pfizer's (PFE.US) RSVPreF (ABRYSVO), GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.US) RSVPreF3 (AREXVY), Johnson & Johnson's Talquetamab, and Astellas Pharma's (ALPMY.US) Zolbetuximab.

Clarivate Reports: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Remains a Public Health Concern, Particularly Significant Among Infants and the Elderly (Aged 65 and Above). RSV Infection is a Common Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, with Severe Cases Potentially Requiring Hospitalization. As the First Vaccines to Enter a Market with Enormous Unmet Needs, ABRYSVO and AREXVY Possess Competitive Advantages. However, This Market Will Become Increasingly Crowded, and Within Five Years, the Size of the RSV Vaccine and Preventive Treatment Market Could Reach $10 Billion.

Overall, Clarivate believes that 2024 will be the best year for the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the most challenging one. Scientific breakthroughs over the past decade have brought new models to the pharmaceutical industry, achieving clinical success and providing treatments to meet new patient needs. However, external factors such as government control over healthcare costs, persistently high funding costs, and global geopolitical disputes are dampening investor interest in the industry.