Clarivate Plc, a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, announced the release of its annual Drugs to Watch™ report on January 10, 2022, identifying drugs entering the market or launching key indications in 2022 which are predicted to achieve blockbuster status by 2026.  Leveraging Clarivate data and insights, analysts identified seven late-stage experimental treatments that they forecast will deliver annual sales of more than $1 billion within five years. These treatments span a remarkably diverse set of therapeutic areas, from conditions like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), asthma and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which afflict tens of millions of patients worldwide, to rare diseases, such as transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR), among others.

The report also offers an in-depth analysis of key COVID-19 vaccines and therapies along with key therapeutic development areas to watch, such as cell and gene therapies, CRISPR, drug discovery driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning, RNA and targeted cancer therapies. In addition, the report examines blockbuster drugs and biologics facing generic competition due to U.S. patent expires in 2022.

Navigating the global healthcare landscape is increasingly complex, and discovering, developing and commercializing successful treatments that change patient lives can be challenging, especially during today’s unprecedented times. The Drugs to Watch report highlights experimental treatments with great promise to realize improved patient outcomes and finance the next generation of innovative medicines. Through adaptation, improvisation and crowdsourcing solutions, the companies behind these promising treatments are advancing a broad array of innovative treatment candidates – leveraging deep expertise in their relevant therapeutic areas and long-term strategies for pursuing therapeutic solutions for these conditions.

Among new drugs and biologics that have either won approval or are poised to do, Clarivate has identified seven treatments that are likely to achieve blockbuster status in the next five years. The 2022 Drugs to Watch, include: ​

Adagrasib, developed by Mirati Therapeutics Inc and Zai Lab Limited - This long-awaited, targeted treatment will likely be the first such treatment option in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) with the KRASG12C mutation, who historically have had very few treatment options. The common variants of the KRAS oncoprotein are traditionally considered intractable drug targets which makes the forecasted entry of a KRAS inhibitor for patients with mutation-positive solid tumors so monumental.

Faricimab, developed by Roche and Chugai Pharmaceutical - For patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) or wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), faricimab offers a potentially more convenient option as it will be administered less frequently, on average, than the standard of care. As the first bispecific antibody to launch in ophthalmology, it also has the potential to be more efficacious than current standard of care, although data so far indicate it is non-inferior to the standard of care. Faricimab is the first dual VEGF/Ang-2 inhibitor to treat DME and wet AMD (and the first bispecific MAb in the ophthalmology therapeutic area overall).

Lecanemab, developed by Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc, and donanemab, from Eli Lilly and Company - In this underserved market, anti-Aβ MAbs lecanemab and donanemab are poised to follow on the heels of the U.S. FDA’s landmark accelerated approval of ADUHELM for the treatment of AD. Lecanemab and donanemab could offer differentiated clinical profiles, which may be bolstered by phase 3 results that are expected to be reported beginning in late 2022. Data across clinical trials suggest that sufficient exposure to optimal doses of anti-Aβ MAb therapy could be clinically effective in early AD.

Tezepelumab, developed by Amgen and AstraZeneca - Tezepelumab is a potential game changer for patients with non-TH2 or TH2-low asthma whose asthma is not well-controlled with inhaled corticosteroids, the current standard of care. If approved, it would be a first-in-class biologic for this patient population. Tezepelumab will likely be a first-line biologic for severe TH2-low asthma and a treatment option for patients with TH2-high asthma for whom existing therapies have been less successful.

Tirzepatide, developed by Eli Lilly and Company - Tirzepatide offers indication-leading reductions in weight loss and improvements in glycemic control in a growing patient population, which has the potential to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-related complications. A new treatment that can more effectively address both weight loss and glycemic control than existing treatments would potentially be of great benefit to patient outcomes.

Vutrisiran, developed by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals - For a progressive disease with a lot of unmet need, this drug brings efficacy, a generally favorable safety profile, and improvements in delivery that will benefit patient quality of life. This patient population has few treatment options, especially for those with wild-type ATTR. Not only does this drug enter a relatively underserved market overall, it also has more convenient dosing than other ATTR-specific drugs on the market.