As many people have avoided routine physician visits and screenings during the pandemic, sales of cancer, arthritis and diabetes drugs have slowed, Bloomberg reported April 29.
Merck reported fewer new patients starting treatment with its best-selling cancer drug, Keytruda. Sales of Amgen's top arthritis drug, Enbrel, declined, with fewer patients being diagnosed and starting treatment, according to Bloomberg. Bristol Myers Squibb also saw its revenue drop for a key cancer drug.
Drugmakers have said they expect a return to normalcy in the second half of this year.
"With a strong rollout of the Covid vaccines, we expect patients will be more comfortable to seek care in a timely manner," Frank Clyburn, Merck’s president of human health, said on the company’s first-quarter conference call April 29, Bloomberg reported.
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