During the last decade, approvals for several first-in-class kinase inhibitors have resulted in a wider recognition of kinases as an important class of drug targets. In the cancer market, there are now seven launched agents targeting EGFR family kinases, three launched agents targeting ABL family kinases and two launched agents targeting VGFR family kinases. Although the kinase market is still relatively young, 173 kinase-related genes are now being targeted in drug developments.

‘Innovations in Protein Kinase Therapies’ is a new report published by Business Insights that provides analysis of 608 kinase-targeting drugs in commercial development by 232 originating companies. This report identifies areas of innovation and opportunity for kinase targeting drugs in cancer and examines the non-cancer applications of kinase drugs across inflammatory/autoimmune diseases, restenosis, diabetes, and other disorders. Leading kinase drug originating companies are profiled to reveal their drugs in development and co-development strategies. Global sales forecasts to 2013 for kinase-targeted drugs are also provided.

Examine kinase drug targets in cancer and other major indications and review the pipelines of leading kinase drug originating companies with this report...”

Key Findings
This report has identified 608 drugs under development from 232 originating companies. These include 455 anticancer drugs directed at a total of 122 molecular targets, and 153 drugs for indications other than cancer, which are directed at 79 molecular targets.

21 (3.5%) of the developmental kinase drugs identified by this report have been launched, and 28 (7.8%) are in Phase 3 clinical trials or beyond. The vast majority of kinase drugs in development are small molecule drugs (78.8%).

Cancer is the most popular indication for kinase drugs (74.8%), followed by arthritis, diabetes and inflammation. A number of marketed drugs are also targeting restenosis.

The global market for kinase-targeted drugs is forecast to grow by 18% per annum, from $13bn in 2008 to $35bn in 2013, based on this report’s analysis of kinase-targeting drug segments.

Novartis has a commanding lead of the kinase drug market, with a 29% share in 2008. In 2013, Novartis' leadership is set to continue, but the most improved company is expected to be Bristol-Myers Squibb, as a result of strong growth from Sprycel.

Use this report to...

• Examine the novel approaches to small molecule kinase inhibitor discovery with this report’s analysis of the strategies currently under development for the efficient discovery and optimization of new inhibitors.
• Identify the most promising approaches to kinase modulation in cancer and other diseases by examining drug targets including ABL1, EGFR, ERBB2, FLT3, KIT, PDGFRA, PDGFRB, FLT1, FLT4, KDR, JAK2, MET, AKT1, CDC2, CDK2, AURKA, AURKB, PLK1, FRAP1, and PIK3CA.
• Compare the activities of the top 20 kinase drug originating companies and identify potential development partners with this report’s analysis of each player’s kinase-related collaborations and drug pipelines.
• Understand future developments in the global kinase drug market, review global pharma trends by region/indication and forecast sales to 2013 for drugs directed at specific kinase-related targets.

Explore issues including...

The potential of ATP competitive inhibitor libraries. With the binding of ATP being essential for kinase activity, most R&D efforts in the past have been directed at the discovery of small molecule reversible ATP competitive inhibitors. Vast libraries of ATP competitive inhibitors offer the promise of easy success in the search for new kinase inhibitors.

The importance of profiling drug candidate activity against a wide variety of kinases. Understanding the behaviour of a compound provides an early indication of whether or not it can have potentially toxic side-effects. Assays developed to allow the selectivity of a new kinase inhibitor to be evaluated at the protein and cellular level are described in this report.

Selectivity criteria for kinases as targets in inflammation. The key issue in the inflammation area is mainly the selectivity of both the target and the inhibitor, in addition to the associated side effect profile of corresponding drugs. In contrast to oncology applications where efficacy is by far the most important criteria, a high safety profile is key for the treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Discover...

• What types of kinase-targeting drugs are currently available?
• Which are the most important therapeutic indications for kinase drugs?
• Which kinase targets are being pursued by drug developers?
• Which companies are the most prolific developers of kinase drugs and what drugs are in their portfolios?
• What is the nature of commercial activity surrounding the major kinase targets?
• How is the kinase-targeting drug market segmented and how are these sectors expected to perform over the period 2009-13?
• Which areas of unmet need are new kinase drugs likely to address?
• What are the trends in kinase-related patenting in the US?