The liver cancer therapeutics market was valued at $382.2m in 2009, indicating a growth rate of 27.1% between 2001 and 2009. Until the market entry of Nexavar (sorafenib) in 2007, the liver cancer therapeutics market was growing at a rate of only 9%. Up until now, Nexavar has been the only approved drug for the treatment of liver cancer. Even though Nexavar extends overall survival by only three months, the drug is widely prescribed in the US and in some countries in Europe. The late-stage clinical development pipeline consists of many first-in-class and me-too drugs that are effective and safe for liver cancer patients. Once these drugs enter the market, the market will grow further at a significant rate. GlobalData estimates that the liver cancer therapeutics market in 2017 will be $1.2bn.

High Unmet Needs Exist in the Liver Cancer Therapeutics Market in Terms of Efficacy and Safety

The liver cancer market has high unmet needs in terms of both efficacy and safety. More than 90% of patients diagnosed with liver cancer are between 45 years and 85 years of age. Nexavar is the only available Food and Drug Association (FDA) approved treatment for advanced liver cancer patients. However, the median survival time in patients treated with Nexavar is only three months more than for patients treated with a placebo. Moreover, Nexavar has a low safety profile. About 39% and 6% of Nexavar-treated patients reported grade 3 and grade 4 adverse reactions respectively.

The Liver Cancer Pipeline is Very Strong with Many New First-In-Class Drugs in Late-Stage Clinical Development

The liver cancer pipeline is very strong, with approximately 54 molecules in the various stages of development. The majority of these molecules are first-in-class molecules that act on new receptors with new mechanisms of action. The late-stage pipeline is inundated with many first-in-class molecules, such as Miripla (miripaltin), and S-1. Miripla was approved in Japan for the treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in January 2010. The drug is undergoing clinical trials in the US and Europe and is expected to receive regulatory approval by 2011. The first-in-class molecules are primarily Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor modulators and light activated therapies.