
GlobalData estimates that the 2013 sales for the Cushing's syndrome (CS) therapeutic market was approximately $179m across the 6MM covered in this report. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are investing their attention, time, and financial resources in the CS field, have adopted a myriad of research and development (R&D) strategies. One notable example is the fact that drug developers are focused on developing superior, next-generation inhibitors of cortisol synthesis in the adrenal glands. Steroidogenesis inhibitors were responsible for approximately 28% of total drug sales in the 6MM in 2013, equating to around $50m. As a consequence of this trend, GlobalData expects overall revenues generated by this drug class to increase by approximately 390% to reach around $247m, encompassing 49% of total drug sales in the 6MM in 2018. The expansion in this segment of the CS market is fuelled by the introduction of premium-priced pharmacological agents such as Novartis' LCI699 and Cortendo AB's NormoCort (COR-003) in the US, as well as the arrival of HRA Pharma's Ketoconazole HRA (ketoconazole) to the European CS stage. One of the greatest unmet needs in this indication is a lack of effective drugs directed against the underlying cause of Cushing's disease (the pituitary tumor). Despite this demand, pharmaceutical companies are continuing to adopt a strategy that simply targets the adrenal glands. As a result, there is a vast amount of room for new or existing players to penetrate the market and capture considerable patient share.