As generics outpaced blood pressure and cholesterol medications, drugmakers initially withdrew from developing costly heart drugs but are now cautiously returning, The Wall Street Journal reported July 26.
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Merck, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Amgen are investing billions of dollars into a potential comeback, but it could be a costly blunder if history repeats itself, according to the Journal.
Developing heart treatments is a more difficult process than other ventures because trials require more subjects and longer timelines than others, such as cancer drugs, and heart conditions are complicated by more factors than just one organ.
"Cholesterol issues, blood pressure issues, diabetes, diet, physical activity, behavior — all these things work together in the background of your genetic predisposition," Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, a cardiologist and chief of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told the Journal.
Some drugmakers are further along than others, almost acting like the industry's own test subject after past heart therapies failed to make expected profits. If successful, the drug companies could pump the $48 billion heart drug market up to $65 billion by 2026, analysts told the Journal.