Web Summary
Oncology is the leading therapy area for innovation - in terms of the level of clinical trial activity, number of companies investing in therapeutics, size of the pipeline of therapies in clinical development, novel active substances being launched, and the level of expenditure on these drugs. In 2021, during a global pandemic, cancer care continued to be delivered although a backlog in treatment and screenings raised worrying questions.
In a record-setting year, more novel cancer medicines became available for the first time than in any year in history, and many of them employ immunology or precision biomarkers to transform the way patients are treated. Adoption of breakthrough medicines and diagnostics is improving outcomes for millions around the world, though broad and equitable access remains a significant challenge to healthcare stakeholders — including patients.
This year’s annual report on Global Oncology Trends examines those novel medicines and the clusters of research, which promise a continuing sequence of breakthroughs in the decade to come. The report explores the impact of COVID-19 disruptions and the longer-term trends in the use of cancer medicines as well as the drivers of spending globally, in key geographies, by tumor type, and for specific types of oncology drugs.
Key Findings
- Oncology trial starts reached historically high levels in 2021, up 56% from 2016 and mostly focused on rare cancer indications
- A record 30 oncology novel active substances (NASs) were initially launched globally in 2021, and a total of 159 have been launched since 2012
- Oncologists report caseloads are 20-29% below pre-COVID-19 levels, and while cancer screenings in the U.S. have returned to pre-pandemic levels, more than 30 million screenings in four common tumors were disrupted since the start of the pandemic, risking delayed or missed diagnoses for more than 58,000 patients
- Global numbers of treated patients have increased at an average of 4% over the past five years
- Global oncology spending is expected to exceed $300 billion by 2026
