The dermatophytic onychomycosis market is expected to grow from $208.8m in 2018 to $676.4m in 2028 within the US, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5%, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

The company’s latest report, ‘Dermatophytic Onychomycosis: US Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2028’, states that the US dermatophytic onychomycosis market, traditionally a slow-moving market, will experience moderate growth over the next ten years. Growth can be attributed to the approval of several new topical terbinafine products, and the genericization of the currently-marketed Jublia (efinaconazole) and Kerydin (tavaborole) over the course of the forecast period, making topical treatment more affordable to patients.

Antoine Grey, MBiochem, Senior Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, says: “The biggest source of competition in the dermatophytic onychomycosis treatment landscape is the current and future approvals of branded topical agents. With patient preference for safer treatments and the high annual cost of topical therapies, new topicals – and generic versions of currently marketed ones – provide an opportunity for dermatology companies to generate revenue.

“However, US payers explained the difficulties associated with focusing on topical development in the dermatophytic onychomycosis space. In the last couple of years, US pharmacies have cut spending on dermatology and topicals treating dermatophytic onychomycosis tend to be expensive while having low efficacy compared to the genericized systemic counterparts. With tight restrictions on pharmacy spending, drug companies will need to price their topical medications accordingly.”

GlobalData’s report also found that the prevalence of the disease is expected to increase over the forecast period due to dermatophytic onychomycosis being more common in elderly patients and an aging US population. An increasingly elderly disease population means more patients will need safer treatment with fewer side effects and drug-drug interactions than what is currently offered by systemic, orally-administered therapies, such as terbinafine and itraconazole. This is especially important as many of these patients will also be taking medication for other conditions that become more common with age.

Grey concludes: “The dermatophytic onychomycosis market will be further bolstered by the genericization of Jublia and Kerydin in 2021 and 2027, respectively, as sales of these drugs have been massively hampered due to their high cost and the fact that US pharmacies have cut their spending on dermatology. Cheaper generic versions of these drugs will attract a greater number of patients than those who had access to the branded versions due to patient preference for safer topicals, leading to high sales for generic efinaconazole and tavaborole.”