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A BioPharmaDive feature article published this week focuses on the growing ophthamology market, which is forecast to be worth $22 billion by 2022. Pharmaceutical companies, attracted by large patient populations with unmet medical needs, are said to be very eager to strengthen their ophthamology product portfolios.

Wet AMD is a major therapeutic indication within the market. It is estimated that almost 10 million Americans are currently suffering from wet AMD, the leading cause of blindness. More than half of wet AMD patients treated with current therapies (VEGF-A inhibitors: Lucentis, Eyelea, Avastin) do not achieve significant vision gain and one in four will experience further vision loss within 12 months of treatment.

Analysts are predicting a pick up in the pace of M & A in the ophthamology sector. One quoted analyst suggests that every single small company in the space is a potential takeout with those in more advanced clinical development being particularly ripe.

It is noted in the article that the US patents for both Lucentis (marketed by Genentech in the US and Novartis in the rest of the world) and Eyelea (marketed by Regeneron) are set to expire in 2020.

http://www.biopharmadive.com/news/biotechs-line-up-to-tap-growing-ophthalmics-market/431507/