New drugs see J&J sales rise
pharmafile | July 17, 2014 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | J&J, JJ, Q2, hepatitis C, olysio, sovaldi
Johnson & Johnson saw sales rise 9.1% to $19.5 billion year on year on the back of a strong performance from key brands including new hep C drug Olysio, blood thinner Xarelto and cancer treatment Zytiga.
Worldwide pharma sales jumped 21.1% to $8.5 billion, with domestic sales up 36.6% and international revenues increasing by 6.8%. International consumer sales were up 2.4% to $3.7 billion across the group.
Hepatitis C drug Olysio (simeprevir), oral anticoagulant Xarelto (rivaroxaban), prostate cancer brand Zytiga (abiraterone acetate), diabetes treatment Invokana (canagliflozin) and leukemia medicine Imbruvica (ibrutinib) all turned in good figures.
It continues the progress seen at the back end of last year when Q4 sales rose 4.5%.
“Our strong second-quarter results reflect the continued success of our new product launches and the progress we have made in achieving our near-term priorities,” said J&J chief executive Alex Gorsky.
“Significant advancements are being made in the treatment options and access to care for patients and customers around the world. Our diversified business model, focus on long-term growth drivers and talented colleagues position us well in this evolving and dynamic global health care market,” he added.
Yet while newly-launched Olysio’s performance was encouraging, there are concerns that Gilead Sciences’ new hepatitis C treatment – as yet not approved – could challenge it soon.
However, J&J submitted a supplemental New Drug Application to the Food and Drug Administration seeking approval for Olysio to be used with Gilead’s just-launched nucleotide analog NS5B polymerase inhibitor Sovaldi (sofosbuvir).
Sovaldi, approved in the US and Europe, is already marked out as a clear frontrunner in this therapy area by analysts, with huge demand and a high price ($1,000 (£600) per day or $84,000 for a full course of treatment) the key factors.
Sovaldi enjoys the best cure rates on the market in a quicker time and with fewer side effects than its rivals, making its rise inevitable. It also made $2.4 billion in the first quarter of this year – a scary trajectory for all other firms in this area, and a primary reason why J&J would want to join them, if they can’t beat them.
Adam Hill
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