Global Stomach Cancer Drugs Market, By Therapy Type (Kinase Inhibitors, Nucleoside Metabolic Inhibitors, Anthracyclines, Microtubule Inhibitors, VEGF Antibodies, HER2 Receptor Antagonists, Car T Cell Therapy), By Application (Adenocarcinomas, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors and Carcinoid Tumors), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy and Online Pharmacy), and By Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa) was valued at US$ 4.0 billion in 2017, and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.4% over the forecast period (2018 - 2026).
Increasing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of biosimilars and developing pipeline of new drug for treatment of stomach cancer are expected to drive the stomach cancer drugs market size. For instance, in January 2019, the U.S. FDA approved South Korea’s Samsung Bioepis’ Ontruzant (trastuzumab biosimilar) for the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer or gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Samsung Bioepis is a joint venture between Samsung Biologics and Biogen. The biosimilar was approved by the European Commission (EC) in November 2017. Many companies such as Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co., Bristol-Meyer Squibb, and Eli Lilly & Company are focused on drugs which are in the pipeline such as Ipilimumab and Nivolumab and are expected to launch in near future. For instance, in 2018, Bristol-Meyer Squibb’s Opdivo (Nivolumab) intravenous infusion injection is in the development pipeline. It is in phase 3 for treatment of stomach cancer and is expected to launch in the U.S., Europe, and South Korea.
Emerging research, developmental studies, and clinical trials to understand stomach cancer better and to develop medicine are highly contributing to the stomach cancer drugs market revenue. One of the most recent updates of clinical trials for stomach cancer in March 2019, is the research on Helicobacter pylori eradication for gastric cancer prevention in the general population. This research is being sponsored by National Cancer Center, Korea and has entered into phase 3 showing positive results using bismuth-based quadruple therapy. Furthermore, in December 2018, Korean South West Oncology Group started a clinical trial on efficacy and safety of combination therapy with ramucirumab, paclitaxel, and trastuzumab biosimilar as a second line treatment of HER2 positive metastatic gastric cancer after failure of first line chemotherapy including trastuzumab. This study is in phase 2 and is expected to complete in 2022.