Top therapeutic classes by global pharmaceutical sales 2018 estimates
Top therapeutic classes and drugs
Oncologics, pain therapy, and anti-diabetics are among the top global pharmaceuticals based on revenues, generating some 100 billion U.S. dollars, 79 billion U.S. dollars, and 40 billion U.S. dollars, respectively, in 2018. In oncologic developments, drugs for non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer were among the leading diseases in therapeutic drug development. On the other hand, mental health drugs like Cymbalta generated about 36 billion dollars of revenue worldwide. Cymbalta is manufactured by Eli Lilly and used to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
One of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s most profitable medications was Abilify, a neurology product that generated revenue of 5.8 billion U.S. dollars in the United States in 2015. Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is used for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, among other disorders. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s neuroscience program focuses on the development of therapeutic regimens for disorders that impact the brain and nervous systems. Some of the company’s other therapeutic areas of focus include cardiovascular, immunoscience, and virology.