Competition from drugs in the same class (with the same mechanism of action and treating the same disease) presents a clear challenge to a first-in-class market entrant. And the speed with which these competitors arrive impacts market dynamics, commercial strategies, and, increasingly, drug prices. Therapies that enjoy extended monopolies as sole entrants in a particular class have greater commercial flexibility in negotiating with payers. Multiple drugs in the same class give payers better leverage with which to negotiate rebates and discounts with drug companies. Here, the lengths of in-class monopolies are examined for the biopharmaceutical industry’s best-selling first-in-class therapies launched in the US since 2001 to determine if the speed to in-class competition is increasing, decreasing, or remains the same, and how in-class monopolies vary based on the type of drug, therapeutic area, or type of drug developer.

This Datamonitor Healthcare report contains a Strategy module.