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Cancer Drugs Drive Pharmaceutical Success, Claim Marketing Dollars

Posted on: Thursday, 21 July 2005, 09:01 CDT

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Along with treatments for high cholesterol, ulcers and depression, cancer drugs have claimed their spot as key products in the pharmaceutical portfolio. As such, the marketing budgets that accompany their development and launch continue to grow.

Cancer treatment is one of the fastest-growing areas of the pharmaceutical industry. IMS Health reports that anti-cancer products recorded global sales of more than $20 billion in 2004. That is a 17% jump from 2003 - one of the biggest leaps among all therapeutic areas. Not surprisingly, drug makers with growing oncology portfolios such as Roche, Amgen and Sanofi-Aventis reported positive quarterly results just this past week.

Unlike mass-market products for conditions such as high cholesterol or arthritis, cancer drugs require careful marketing that educates specialists in the oncologist community. Companies spend an average of $76.8 million commercializing their cancer drugs, according to "Oncology Brand Commercialization: Resource Allocation," a report by business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information (http://www.pharmaoncologymarketing.com/). Marketing efforts start early - during pre-clinical work - and slowly increase until phase III, when brand teams invest heavily to ready their products for launch.

The report finds that once drugs reach phase III, companies loosen the purse strings and allow their oncology brand teams to kick off significant marketing campaigns. During this time, brands spend an average of $12.3 million on commercialization efforts - then nearly double that spending when regulatory agencies approve products for launch.

- Report Information -

"Oncology Brand Commercialization: Resource Allocation," available at http://www.pharmaoncologymarketing.com/, examines oncology commercialization spending and staffing using 28 different commercial variables, such as drug class, market entrance, peak sales projections and approved indications.

Marketing teams use "Oncology Brand Commercialization: Resource Allocation" (http://www.pharmaoncologymarketing.com/) to:

* Win additional budget and staffing resources * Identify critical patterns in resource allocation from the pre-clinical through post-launch periods * Compare spending and staffing levels to other brands using several key variables * Match budgets and team size to specific marketing challenges * Adjust strategic planning to accommodate your unique commercial position

To download a free summary of this 287-page report, please visit http://www.pharmaoncologymarketing.com/. For more information on this report or to learn about other Cutting Edge Information research, contact Eric Bolesh at eric_bolesh@cuttingedgeinfo.com or +1-919-403-6583.

Cutting Edge Information

CONTACT: Eric Bolesh of Cutting Edge Information, +1-919-403-6583, oreric_bolesh@cuttingedgeinfo.com

Web site: http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/http://www.pharmaoncologymarketing.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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