Researchers See Market Growth For Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb will emerge as a prominent player in the psychiatric disorder drug market in 2007, according to research and advisory company Decision Resources Inc., Waltham, Mass. According to the new DR Pipelines Report, Bristol-Myers Squibb will experience a 5% increase in market share due to expected sales of Abilify for schizophrenia. Abilify should capture most new prescriptions and will continue to supplant older, typical agents in the United States. Current market dominators Eli Lilly & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) PLC together owned about 43% of the psychiatric drug market in 2002. "Lilly will remain the market leader in 2007 despite the loss of patent protection for Prozac, but GlaxoSmithKline will begin to lose its footing in the same year," says Karen O'Connor, an analyst at Decision Resources. "The challenge to GlaxoSmithKline's growth is generic competition for Paxil, GSK's selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) approved for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders."