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U.S. Ocular Hypertension and Open Angle Glaucoma Markets - Physicians Insights
Frost & Sullivan, April 2005
New Therapies Aim to Increase Patient Compliance
A significant portion of the North American population is affected by ocular hypertension (OHT) and open angle glaucoma and remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. Even among the people treated, there are a sizeable number with significant unmet therapeutic needs. Sub-optimal drug safety profiles, high medication frequency, and high cost are leading to low compliance and prescription persistence. As a result, there is an enormous potential for better and advanced medications. Within the next year leading market participants such as Pfizer, Inc., Alcon, Inc., and Allergan are expected to come out with a combination of prostaglandin-beta blocker medications in the United States that is likely to increase the overall patient compliance, decrease overall costs, and improve ocular health.
This Frost & Sullivan research service examines the U. S. market for ocular hypertension and open angle glaucoma therapies through an extensive end user survey and provides analysis of physician prescribing patterns and perceptions, pipelines, competitor analysis, patient population growth, and revenue forecasts. It provides excellent information for companies seeking to gain a better understanding of the course of treatment of OHT and open angle glaucoma, noting that the majority of glaucoma patient growth is expected to arise from OHT patients.
Ocular Hypertension Treatment Methods See a Wide Variation
Due to the lack of specific clinical guidelines, there is tremendous variation in patient treatment rates among ophthalmologists and optometrists for ocular hypertension allowing for significant potential shifts in treatment patterns through market expansion initiatives, notes the analyst of the research. Data suggests that treating ocular hypertensive patients with intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medication can potentially delay or prevent the onset of glaucoma and many ophthalmologists have altered their approach to treating ocular hypertension.
Some ophthalmologists treat a majority of their OHT patients with IOP-lowering medication, while others treat only a small number of patients with very high ocular pressure. Most of the ophthalmologists steer a middle course where they weigh the patient’s baseline IOP with the various glaucoma risk factors. Pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer are initiating interest and sponsoring Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs to influence the treatment carried out on ‘glaucoma suspect’ patients.
Vendors Tap Market’s Growth Potential
Within the next five years, the most anticipated development for glaucoma is in the area of neuroprotection, with market participants seeking related indications for currently marketed drugs. A few companies are focusing on novel medicines for preventing optic nerve cell death, the factor that causes vision loss, says the analyst. These developments are expected to enhance the position of branded products in the market until the end of forecast period (2011).
In terms of revenue growth, the U.S. hypertension and open angle glaucoma market is expected to follow a conservative pricing model in the coming years. The market finds ample support from the steady growth in demand due to the increase in the aging population, higher government funding for screening at-risk population groups, improved diagnostics, increasing patient compliance with medication, and direct-to-customer (DTC) advertising. In addition, many new ocular hypertension and open angle glaucoma therapeutics are expected to enter the evolving market and strengthen it further.
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