Report Says Influenza Drug Market Struggles with Reimbursement Issues and Pandemic Fears

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Decision Resources, Inc., a leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the influenza therapeutic drug market is constrained by reimbursement, formulary hurdles, and perceptions of low efficacy of current antivirals. However, fears of a future influenza pandemic are driving sales. According to the report, Influenza -- Payer Constraints and Pandemic Fears, although recent concern over the health impact of an influenza pandemic had increased stockpiling of influenza antivirals in all markets, overall use of influenza antiviral drugs remains low owing to their high cost, inconvenience, and perceived lack of efficacy. Reimbursement is a hurdle for the influenza drug market as well.

"Despite having failed to achieve reimbursement status in many European Union markets, Roche's Tamiflu is the overwhelmingly dominant product in the market. However, future entrants to this market must demonstrate convincing cost-benefit data to gain favorable reimbursement and widespread usage," said Aaron Woolsey, an analyst at Decision Resources.

Source: Decision Resources, Inc.