Aging Boomers a Moving Target in $17 Billion U.S. Arthritis Market

New York, November 5, 2003 — Drug marketers face shifting demographic and market dynamics in their race to capture part of the $17 billion U.S. prescription rheumatoid arthritis (RA) market, according to a new study released today from Kalorama Information. Patients over 45 years of age represent the vast majority of revenues in RA, according to the study, but the market potential of new treatments may not grow as quickly as the older population does.

The study, Markets in Geriatric Medicine Volume I: Rheumatoid Arthritis, found that the growing number of elderly and improvements in early detection and treatment will expand the total available market for RA therapeutics by nearly $15 billion over the next ten years. However, the gap between the available and serviceable market will grow significantly in the older population, as new, potentially expensive therapeutics come to market.

"With OTC and generic products currently owning 60% of the arthritis market, price is a significant part of the equation," notes Kenneth G. Krul, PhD, the author of the study. "One of the major reasons for the differences between total available and serviceable available market is the ability of older patients to pay for the product. A comprehensive prescription benefit package under Medicare would begin to close the gap fairly quickly but not all the way."

The new study, the first volume of a continuing study of geriatric medicine, segments the market into 45 to 54, 55 to 64, 65 to 74, and over 75 age groups and examines epidemiology, pipelines, competitors, and clinical and business trends. Subsequent volumes in the series will address type II diabetes (Volume II, due out next month) and cardiovascular disease (Volume III, due out in January 2004) in the elderly population.

About Kalorama Information
Kalorama Information, an imprint of MarketResearch.com, supplies the latest in independent market research for the life sciences. For more information, contact Steven Heffner at 212-807-2634 or sheffner@kaloramainformation.com, or visit www.KaloramaInformation.com.

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