Cancer vaccines market to show high growth until 2018

Published: 18-Nov-2011

There are currently 337 cancer vaccines in development, says GlobalData report


GlobalData estimates that the global cancer vaccines market was worth $3.5bn in 2010, after increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63.7% during 2006–2010. From 2010–2018, the market is expected to record a CAGR of 12.7%, to reach $9.1bn by 2018.

The industry analysis specialist attributes this high growth to the increasing number of patients with cancer who require treatment.

GlobalData’s new report, Cancer Vaccines – Pipeline Assessment and Market Forecasts to 2018, notes that the prophylactic cancer vaccines market experienced high growth during 2006–2010 due to the launch of Gardasil (human papillomavirus quadrivalent (types 6, 11, 16, and 18) vaccine, recombinant) and Cervarix (human papillomavirus bivalent (types 16 and 18) vaccine, recombinant). Gardasil was approved in the US and Europe in 2006 and in Japan in 2011. Cervarix was launched in Europe in 2008 and in the US and Japan in 2009.

New indications for Gardasil are expected to grow the prophylactic cancer vaccines market to 2018. In December 2010, the FDA approved Gardasil for anal cancer and anal intraepithelial neoplasia grades 1, 2 and 3 in males and females between the age of 9 and 26.

The expected launch of the V503 multivalent vaccine in 2014 will also drive this market during the forecast period. V503 is believed to provide greater protection from many strains of HPV (human papillomavirus) than existing vaccines, which are either tetravalent or bivalent, thereby lowering the risk of cervical cancer.

The cancer vaccines therapeutic market is also expected to show high growth from 2010–2018 owing to the launch of new products.

There is currently only one therapeutic cancer vaccine, Dendreon’s Provenge, a dendritic cell vaccine for advanced prostate cancer, which GlobalData says will change the landscape of the future therapeutic cancer vaccines market. It was approved in April 2010 and is only available in the US. Dendreon is expecting to file the drug in Europe early next year and should launch it by June 2013.

New vaccines for different types of cancer, to be launched from 2010–2018 include:

  • Allovectin-7 and Oncovex for melanoma
  • BiovaxId (Idiotype vaccine therapy) for follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Europe and the US
  • Stimuvax (BLP25 liposome vaccine) for stage III NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer)

Although there are many vaccines in the pipeline for different types of cancer, GlobalData says there is a need for:

  • Better understanding of most immunogenic antigens to be used for the treatment of different tumour types – despite recent advances in therapy for cancer the median survival remains poor
  • Selection of the most potent adjuvant, according to the route and schedule of administration
  • Identification of exact timing and number of vaccinations that should be given to cancer patients for them to have an enhanced immune response
  • Identification of non-immuno suppressive chemotherapeutic combination partners to be given with cancer vaccines to understand which combinations should be given with the vaccine for there to be the maximum immune response

Going forward, GlobalData highlights Vical, Biovest International, NewLink Genetics Corporation, NovaRx Corporation, Oxford BioMedica, immatics biotechnologies GmbH, GSK and Bavarian Nordic as the key players in the future market for cancer vaccines.

The report findings indicate that the cancer vaccines pipeline is strong, with 337 cancer vaccines currently in different stages of development, and many therapeutic cancer vaccines in Phase III clinical trials. These vaccines, with better safety and tolerability profiles observed in clinical studies, have raised hope for cancer treatment in the future.

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