WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that robust annual five percent growth through 2017 in the ulcerative colitis drug market will be driven by strong uptake of Abbott/Eisai's Humira, Centocor/Schering-Plough/Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma/Janssen's golimumab and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Orencia, following the expected approvals and launches of these three biologic agents for ulcerative colitis by 2017.

The new Pharmacor report entitled Ulcerative Colitis finds that Humira and golimumab -- as maintenance therapies -- will drive nearly two-thirds of the growth in the ulcerative colitis market in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom over the next ten years. Humira and golimumab will expand treatment options for moderate to severe patients who fail treatment with conventional pharmacotherapies, posing a threat to Centocor/Schering-Plough/Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma's Remicade. Additionally, the approval of Orencia by 2012 for the treatment of moderate to severe disease as an acute and maintenance therapy, will expand treatment options for patients who fail treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors.

"We project golimumab may have an advantage over its predecessors within the TNF-alpha inhibitor class-specifically Remicade and Humira-because the drug is being investigated for both intravenous and subcutaneous delivery," said Kathryn Benton, analyst at Decision Resources. "However, we expect Humira to outperform golimumab in ulcerative colitis sales due to Humira's earlier market entry and more well-established long-term safety profile."

The report also finds that the uptake of Shire/Takeda/Giuliani's Lialda/Mezavant/Mezavant XL and its launch in additional countries will contribute to market growth, owing to the agent's improved dosing convenience and its premium price compared to currently marketed drugs in its class. Lialda/Mezavant/Mezavant XL, the most recently approved oral 5- aminosalicylate, has launched in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom and is expected to launch in the remaining European markets in late 2008.

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SOURCE Decision Resources, Inc.