Drug Overview
Letairis (ambrisentan; Gilead/GlaxoSmithKline) is a selective endothelin type A receptor antagonist. Endothelin is a potent vasoconstrictor with mitogenic, hypertrophic, and pro-inflammatory properties. By preventing endothelin from binding to the endothelin receptor, Letairis blocks the receptor-mediated vasoconstriction of vascular smooth muscle cells.
Analyst Outlook
While second-to-market Letairis (ambrisentan; Gilead/GlaxoSmithKline) has not managed to exceed the historical peak sales of fellow endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) Tracleer (bosentan; Johnson & Johnson), it has remained a market-leading drug. Given that Letairis will imminently face generic competition in the US in October 2018, with other markets shortly following, the drug has limited opportunities for further uptake within the pulmonary hypertension (PH) market. Nonetheless, Letairis is expected to continue to benefit from the increasing adoption of ERAs in combination with phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors based on the AMBITION trial. This will counterbalance some generic erosion and aid in maintaining steady sales despite intensifying competition.
Letairis (ambrisentan; Gilead/GlaxoSmithKline) is a selective endothelin type A receptor antagonist. Endothelin is a potent vasoconstrictor with mitogenic, hypertrophic, and pro-inflammatory properties. By preventing endothelin from binding to the endothelin receptor, Letairis blocks the receptor-mediated vasoconstriction of vascular smooth muscle cells.
Analyst Outlook
While second-to-market Letairis (ambrisentan; Gilead/GlaxoSmithKline) has not managed to exceed the historical peak sales of fellow endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) Tracleer (bosentan; Johnson & Johnson), it has remained a market-leading drug. Given that Letairis will imminently face generic competition in the US in October 2018, with other markets shortly following, the drug has limited opportunities for further uptake within the pulmonary hypertension (PH) market. Nonetheless, Letairis is expected to continue to benefit from the increasing adoption of ERAs in combination with phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors based on the AMBITION trial. This will counterbalance some generic erosion and aid in maintaining steady sales despite intensifying competition.
Table of Contents
OVERVIEWDrug Overview
Product Profiles
LIST OF FIGURES
Letairis : Pulmonary hypertension
Figure 1: Letairis for pulmonary hypertension – SWOT analysis
Figure 2: The authors drug assessment summary of Letairis for pulmonary hypertension
Figure 3: The authors drug assessment summary of Letairis for pulmonary hypertension
Figure 4: Letairis sales for pulmonary hypertension across the US, Japan, and five major EU markets, by country, 2016–25
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Letairis drug profile
Table 2: Letairis pivotal trial data in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Table 3: Letairis sales for pulmonary hypertension across the US, Japan, and five major EU markets, by country ($m),
–25
