Sepracor's Lunesta will Dominate Market Share in the Insomnia Market By 2010
Sanofi-Aventis will Attempt to Remain a Leading Player in the Market, According to a New Report from Decision Resources
WALTHAM, Mass., November 15, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources and Millennium Research Group have released a new report that forecasts Sepracor's Lunesta will lead the insomnia drug market in market share by 2010. Lunesta is expected to reach blockbuster status by that year as well. This success did not come about without a lot of effort from Sepracor. The company embarked on an unprecedented post-marketing and direct-to-consumer effort for Lunesta that has driven market share, but full benefits from the campaign will be felt after 2009 when Sanofi-Aventis' Ambien CR loses its US market exclusivity. By 2011, Lunesta will lead in brand sales, making up 21.6 percent of the total market.
The report also finds that Sanofi-Aventis, who dominated with 67.3 percent of the total insomnia market in 2006, will attempt to remain a leading player in the market after the generic erosion of its Ambien franchise. Sanofi- Aventis will be the first competitor to launch a 5-HT2 antagonist, eplivanserin, in 2009, and its follow-on 5-HT2 antagonist volinanserin in 2011. Although neither product will reach the sales status of Ambien, they will still allow Sanofi-Aventis to retain 14.5 percent of the insomnia market in 2011.
"Eplivanserin will most likely be indicated for sleep maintenance insomnia, not sleep initiation, and will likely not be scheduled as a controlled substance in the US," said Natalie Taylor, Ph.D., analyst at Decision Resources. "We believe the company will tailor its marketing efforts for eplivanserin to reach elderly patients suffering from chronic primary insomnia and who are more susceptible to the side effects of hypnotics." |
