Decision Resources projects blockbuster sales for Gilenia

WALTHAM, Mass. An investigational drug for treating multiple sclerosis has a shot at becoming a top seller, according to a new report by Decision Resources.

The healthcare market research firm said that according to a report on MS drugs, Novartis’ and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma’s pill Gilenia (fingolimod) would achieve peak-year sales of more than $1 billion in the United States, Japan and several European countries following its expected approval. A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended the drug’s approval last week, though FDA advisory committee recommendations are not binding. If approved, Novartis said, Gilenia would become the first oral treatment for the disease.

“The FDA advisory committee provided a strong show of confidence in Gilenia when it voted unanimously that the drug is safe and effective,” Decision Resources analyst Jonathan Searles said. “It also voted against language recommending that Gilenia should only be prescribed after patients fail first-line therapies.”