HRT for Menopausal Symptoms – A new class restores an old market

In 2007, the market value of HRT for menopausal symptoms saw its first upturn since the Women’s Health initiative (WHI) study results in 2002; highly publicized findings which linked HRT to cancer and cardiovascular safety risks. The recent growth of the market is due in part to the increasing price of HRT products but can only be sustained by a similar increase in volume sales.

The market growth seen from 2006 to 2007 will be maintained by a growing number of women requesting pharmaceutical treatment for their menopausal symptoms in the next decade. The value of the seven major markets combined is expected to grow by over $1 billion as volume sales increase by 0.5% and innovative products set higher price points.

New mechanisms of action that prevent the agents from affecting breast and uterine tissue should diminish safety concerns and revolutionize the HRT market. Two late-stage pipeline products, Wyeth’s Aprela (bazedoxifene, conjugated equine estrogen) and Bionovo’s MF-101 (liquiritigenin) are expected to generate combined revenue of $893m in 2017.

Reactive strategies, such as the launch of alternatively delivered therapies and low dose reformulations, were useful, short-term revenue generators in the wake of the WHI publication. Now the market profile must be raised, and physician/patient education used to maintain growth in the long term.

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