Future Post-Traumatic Stress Treatments May Disappoint Growing Number of Trauma Victims

Monday 2 July 2012, Amsterdam

Members of the armed forces and victims of abuse taking medication for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are unlikely to see any revolutionary changes to their drug treatment in the near future, despite growing numbers, according to the new Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Therapeutics (PTSD) - Pipeline Assessment and Market Forecasts to 2019 report.

The report indicates that the current research and development undertaken by drug companies is not likely offer the novel, safe and long-term treatment options sufferers are seeking, or move treatment away from the well-established antidepressants that current PTSD therapies greatly rely on.

The report indicates that the PTSD therapeutics market is currently served by two FDA-approved selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Zoloft and Paxil, and various offlabel generic drugs with a low cost of therapy. Sufferers are often prescribed established antidepressant therapies alongside non-pharmacological treatment options such as cognitive behavioral therapy.

The approved drugs only have moderate efficacy and safety profiles, which sometimes drives the medical practitioners towards the use of behavioral therapies.Many patients with PTSD also suffer from co-morbid psychiatric disorders such as depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and other anxiety disorders, which significantly reduces the choice of appropriate drugs available. Consequently, there is a high unmet need for new drugs with novel mechanisms of action that could potentially treat patients with co-morbidities.

A recent market dip following the patent expiries of Paxil (US/Europe: 2007/2006) and Zoloft (US/Europe: 2006) demonstrated the demand for a new choice of PTSD medications, especially as predicted growth in the patient population and increasing awareness among physicians is set to drive up the future unmet need.

Despite this, this recent pipeline research suggests that only a few pharmaceutical companies are presently researching into new and advanced treatment options for PTSD, creating a weak developmental pipeline. The majority of the 16 molecules currently in development are being sponsored by universities and academic institutions, giving the potential new drugs less financial backing for the development process, while the late-stage pipeline consists of only two molecules that are both university-sponsored and without novel mechanisms of action. This means that no new revolutionary treatments are due to hit the market within the next decade.

The report estimates that the global PTSD therapeutics market was worth $1,388.3m in 2011, following a decline at a negative compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.9% during 2006-2011. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.2% to reach $1,782.9m by 2019, due to an increased patient population.

This report identifies the key trends shaping and driving the global post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) therapeutics market. It also provides insights on the prevalent competitive landscape and the emerging players expected to significantly alter the market positioning of the current market leaders. Most importantly, the report provides valuable insights on the pipeline products within the global PTSD therapeutics sector.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.