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Novel Therapeutic Technologies Selects Candidate for In-house Drug Development
One of the key drug markets NTT is currently planning to enter is the Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Market.
Estimates of the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) vary widely between sources. The Massachusetts Male Ageing Study1 reported a 35% prevalence of moderate to severe ED in the 40-69 year old age group. A more recent meta-analysis2 suggests that this figure is on the high side and that approximately 5-20% of all men may have moderate to severe ED.
It was estimated that the number of men with ED worldwide in 1995 stood at 152 million. Projections indicate that this number could reach 322 million by 2025, primarily driven by the ageing population, the increasing incidence of risk factors such as diabetes, smoking, obesity and cardiovascular disease, and the increasing incidence of ED as a side-effect of pharmacological agents for other conditions3.
Currently only around 30% of affected men actually seek treatment for ED and even fewer receive it. In 2004, analysts estimated that only 13% of the market was being treated4. This situation is expected to improve with increasing awareness of ED and the availability of more convenient treatments.
The global ED market was estimated to be worth $1.8 billion in 2002 and is forecast to rise to nearly $5 billion in 20085. According to Newsweek, analysts have predicted that the overall market will be worth $6 billion by the end of the decade6.
The PDE-5 inhibitors remain dominant in the ED market. Global sales of Viagra®, Levitra® and Cialis® in 2005 are forecast to reach $2,245 million, $450 million and $458 million respectively. By 2008, the figures are forecast to grow to $2,627 million, $900 million and $809 million respectively7.
The non-oral erectile dysfunction market was estimated to be worth $85 million worldwide in 2003, with $45 million sales in Europe and $32 million in the USA8.
1
- Feldman et al. (1994) Journal of Urology 151(1) 54-61
2
- Kubin et al. (2003) International Journal of Impotence Research 15 (1):63-71
3
- Strategic Perspectives: Male Sexual Dysfunction, Datamonitor, 2002
4
- At http://www.medicinenet.com/pdf/hr0503erectiledysfunction.pdf (accessed May 2005)
5
- The Lifestyle Drugs Outlook to 2008, Reuters Business Insight, 2003
6
- Newsweek Health at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4051447/ (accessed May 2005)
7
- The Lifestyle Drugs Outlook to 2008, Reuters Business Insight, 2003
8
- IMS MAT Sept 03 quoted at http://www.ardana.co.uk/news21062004.html (accessed May 2005)
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