Even with increased competition, a significant drop in the value of the dollar, growing pressure to contain costs, and regulatory agencies pulling some big sellers off the market, global pharmaceutical sales grew to $850 billion in 2010. That's a 4 to 5 percent growth rate from 2009, according to IMS Health. Generics and biopharmaceuticals, as expected, took on a bigger share of the market.
Pfizer's cholesterol drug remained the top selling branded drug in 2010, despite generic competition and three recalls.
1. Lipitor
Sales: $11.4 billion
Generic name: atorvastan
Pfizer's cholesterol drug Lipitor remained the top selling branded drug in 2010, despite generic competition and three recalls.
Lipitor is an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, or statin. It lowers the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
2. Plavix
Sales: $9.6 billion
Generic name: clopidogrel bisulfate
Plavix, a blood clot prevention medication, is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis. Plavix was to lose its U.S. market protection in May 2012 but in January 2010, the FDA extended Bristol-Myers's patent for six additional months.
3. Enbrel
Sales: $8.4 billion
Generic name: etanercept
Enbrel is a biologic medication that blocks a protein called tumor necrosis factor. Enbrel is prescribed for inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis), plaque psoriasis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Enbrel, marketed by Amgen, will be the first biologic drug to lose its patent.
4. Advair Diskus
Sales: $7.8 billion
Generic name: fluticasone; salmetrol
Advair Diskus is prescribed for the management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD) symptoms.
Sales of GlaxxoSmithKline's Advair fell slightly short of analysts' projections, partly due to loss of patent protection in several European countries.
5. Remicade
Sales: $7.4 billion
Generic name: infliximab
Remicade is prescibed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Chron's disease.
Merck (through its purchase of Schering-Plough) has distribution rights to Remicade while Johnson & Johnson had a co-marketing agreement with SP.
6. Avastin
Sales: $6.9 billion
Generic name: bevacizumab
Genentech's Avastin is a chemotherapy drug used to treat certain cancers of the colon, rectum and lung cancer. In December 2010, the FDA cautioned doctors and patients that Avastin carries serious risks as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer. In November 2011 the agency formally revoked its approval of Avastin for metastatic breast cancer.
7. Rituxan
Sales: $6.5 billion
Generic name: rituximab
Rituximab is a biologic antineoplastic agent used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. In January 2011 the FDA granted Roche approval to distribute the drug as a treatment for follicular lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
