Global glioblastoma market set to reach $1.4bn by 2027

The glioblastoma (GBM) market is expected to grow from $662.0m in 2017 to $1.4bn in 2027 across the eight major markets at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5%, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

The company’s latest report: 'Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) Opportunity Analysis and Forecasts to 2027' states that a drive to address the high level of unmet needs will be hindered by difficulties in clinical development, leading to only modest growth in the GBM market.

Ashwin Oberoi, MChem, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, says: "Clinical trial design for glioblastoma is extremely challenging, many drugs have shown promise in early-stage single arm studies but end up failing in randomised Phase III trials. GBM is considered a disease with some of the highest unmet needs in oncology, where patients have a median overall survival between one and two years.

"There is a significant lack of effective therapies in the current market due to the inability of drugs to penetrate the blood brain barrier, with the only targeted therapy approved being Roche’s Avastin (bevacizumab) for recurrent GBM patients, despite the therapy not demonstrating a survival benefit in patients."

GlobalData’s report also found that since GBM patients have no effective treatment options and low survival expectancy, there is the potential for high uptake in the market if an agent is capable of increasing survival or quality of life.

Oberoi adds: "Although progress has been made, survival rates are still dismal. Therapies that can prolong the overall survival (OS) of patient’s refractory to Avastin are the greatest unmet need in the GBM space; fulfilling this need is a safe route to regulatory approval and commercial success.

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"Like other orphan indications with high levels of unmet need, it is clear that effective therapies for GBM can demand premium pricing. Although GBM affects a relatively small number of patients, there are seven drugs in the late stages of development. These include Opdivo, DCVax-L, and depatuxizumab mafodotin, which have shown promising efficacy in early-stage trials. The level of unmet need for GBM patients is exceedingly high, which will facilitate the adoption of these new drug candidates."