The arthritis therapeutics market is expected to experience significant growth in the coming years, a new report predicts.

Research found that arthritis therapeutics are becoming a “gigantic attraction” for pharmaceutical companies as the condition continues to be one of the most common causes of disabilities.

Rising incidence rates of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are expected to see revenues reach $35.8 billion by 2018.

Several major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have already shown an interest in obtaining market share and have made investments in the potentially lucrative industry.

Pfizer, Amgen, Merck, Roche and Novartis, the report found, have increased R&D efforts in the field with several promising therapies in late-stage development.

The current pipeline includes many small molecule drugs and biologic therapies, as well as novel oral Disease-Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs).

Biologics, the report predicts, will feature heavily as the market expands and drive growth during the coming years.

Existing market leaders are also expected to benefit from the predicted demand.

Amgen’s patent on blockbuster drug Enbrel was recently extended until 2028 by the FDA following a number of court proceedings. Other well-established brands have also had their protection protected.

However, the patents for Rituxan (rituximab), Remicade (infliximab), Celebrex (celecoxib) and Humira (adalimumab) will see a number of generic alternatives enter the market.

Despite cheaper therapeutic products being made available, the report estimates the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% for the next six years.

A quarter of the NHS drugs spending of £4.1 billion last year went on just ten medicines, according to a new report.

IMS Health found that total prescribing costs in England, including primary care and community prescriptions, reached a record £12.86 billion in 2010, an increase of 4.8% from the previous year.

This total in English hospitals has increased by 7.7%.

The report, commissioned by the NHS, says that this growth is likely to be related to the introduction of new, more expensive treatments.

The top 10 drugs (Figure 1) were mainly biologics used to treat either autoimmune diseases or cancers.

The most expensive were two arthritis drugs, Abbott’s Humira (adalimumab), with an increase of 19% to £180.5 million, and Pfizer and Amgen’s Enbrel (etanercept), costing £179.6 million.

Novartis’ Lucentis (ranibizumab) treatment for eye disease cost £128.9 million, overtaking Roche’s breast cancer medicine Herceptin.

The report noted the difficulty in biologics, as they are unlikely to be copied and manufactured into generics, consequently costing for the NHS more for branded medication. Manufacturers are likely to make more innovative forms of existing drugs, which would also push prices up.

However, the primary care drugs bill, which takes up 66% of the £12.9 billion spending of medicines in the English NHS, is expected to decrease by £1 billion over the next four years due to a series of patent expiry dates.