Drug Markets
Whole drug classes on one page: Medicare spend by molecule, who holds each one, where generics and biosimilars already compete, and when the next protection ends.
Open Drug Markets -- in the sidebar under Drugs & Markets.
Drug Profile answers questions about one molecule. Most commercial questions are about a class: how big is the GLP-1 market, who owns it, which molecule opens to generics first, and is anything short. Drug Markets answers those for a fixed set of drug classes, one page per class, with every molecule in the class side by side.
Data sources
Every molecule in a market is read from the same facts that power its Drug Profile, so the two pages agree:
- FDA Orange Book -- brand holder, generic competition, and the patent and exclusivity dates that set when protection ends.
- FDA Purple Book -- biologics, licensed biosimilars, and reference exclusivity for biologics with no Orange Book date.
- Staged generics -- ANDA filings that passed FDA review but are not marketed yet, counted the same way as on Drug Profile.
- FDA drug shortages -- whether the molecule is in an active shortage, and since when.
- CMS NADAC -- pharmacy acquisition cost per unit.
- CMS Medicare Part D and Part B -- Medicare spend, 2024 data.
The markets
There are 13 markets in six therapeutic areas. Each market is a fixed list of molecules.
| Area | Markets |
|---|---|
| Metabolic | GLP-1 and GIP/GLP-1 agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, DPP-4 inhibitors, Basal insulins |
| Cardiovascular | Direct oral anticoagulants, Statins, PCSK9 drugs |
| Immunology | TNF inhibitors, IL-12/23, IL-23 and IL-17 inhibitors, JAK inhibitors |
| Oncology | PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors |
| Ophthalmology | Anti-VEGF retina drugs |
| Neurology | CGRP migraine drugs |
Medicare spend
Every spend figure on these pages is a floor, the same one shown on each drug profile:
- Part D comes from the highest-spend prescriber lines for the molecule.
- Part B comes from billed drug codes.
- Each molecule counts across all its brands and forms.
Cheap, widely prescribed generics are undercounted most, so compare brands with brands. Physician-administered classes such as PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors and anti-VEGF retina drugs are billed mostly or entirely under Part B, and the page says so.
Overview page
Header
The header describes the page and carries five numbers. They follow the area you select below, so with Cardiovascular selected they count only the cardiovascular markets.
| Number | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Medicare spend tracked | Part D plus Part B spend across the markets shown, 2024 data |
| Markets | Markets shown, with their molecule count |
| Generic or biosimilar sold | Molecules with a generic or biosimilar on sale, out of all molecules shown |
| Protection ends within 24 mo | Molecules whose protection ends in the next 24 months, with the Medicare spend at stake on them |
| In shortage | Molecules in an active FDA drug shortage |
Therapeutic areas
A row of cards, one for All markets and one per area. Each card shows the area's Medicare spend and molecule count, and a bar split by market (or by area, on All markets). Click a card to filter the page to that area; click it again to go back to all markets. Hovering a card dims the markets of other areas in the chart and the grid.
Medicare spend by market
A bar per market, ranked by Medicare spend (2024 data), split into Part D and Part B. The bars always show every market; the ones outside the selected area are dimmed. Click a bar to open the market.
Protection ending next
Up to eight molecules whose protection ends soonest, across all markets or the selected area. Each row shows the month and how far away it is, the molecule, its lead brand and market, its Medicare spend, and how many staged generics are waiting. A date marked est. is an estimated reference exclusivity date for a biologic, not an Orange Book date.
Market cards
Below the chart, one card per market. Sort by Spend, Next protection or A-Z. The caption shows how many markets are listed.
Each card shows:
- The area, the market's rank by Medicare spend, its name, its total Medicare spend with the Part B share, and its molecule count.
- A bar of each molecule's share of class spend.
- The top three molecules (every molecule on a wide, featured card), each with a status chip and its share of spend:
| Chip | Meaning |
|---|---|
| n generics (or n biosimilars) | A generic or biosimilar is on sale, from n makers |
| Lock with a month | Brand only; protection ends that month |
| none sold | No generic or biosimilar on sale and no future protection date on file |
- A footer with Generic sold (or Biosimilar sold in a mostly biologic class) as a count out of all molecules, Next protection ends with the molecule, Staged generics awaiting launch, and Shortage with the molecules affected.
If a market does not load, a note above the areas names it and says it is left out. Reload in a moment to retry.
Market page
Click any card, bar or row to open the market.
Header bar
A Drug markets link back to the overview, the area name, a Share report button (see Client report) and links to the previous and next market.
Hero
- The area, market name and a one-line description.
- The read -- what Medicare paid for the class in 2024 (split into Part D and Part B where both apply), the largest molecule and its share, how many molecules have a generic or biosimilar on sale, the next protection to end, and how many staged generics are waiting.
- Medicare spend 2024, at least -- the class total, with Part D and Part B and the market's rank among all markets.
- A bar and legend of each molecule's share of class spend and its spend.
KPI strip
| Number | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Molecules | Molecules in the class, with the count of brands and combinations |
| Generic sold (or Biosimilar sold) | Molecules with a generic or biosimilar on sale, out of all molecules |
| Next protection ends | The month the earliest protection ends, with the molecule, how far away it is and its spend |
| Staged generics | Staged generics waiting across the class, per molecule |
| In shortage | Molecules in an active FDA shortage, with the month each one started |
Exclusivity and competition
A timeline from 2018 to at least 2034, with a Today marker and one row per molecule:
| Bar | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Brand only | The brand alone, up to the first generic or the end of protection |
| Generics sold (or Biosimilars sold) | From the month the first generic launched, with the number of makers |
| Open after protection | After protection ends, with the date and any staged generics |
| No generic sold (or No biosimilar sold) | No generic or biosimilar on sale and no future protection date on file |
| Shortage | A marker at the month the shortage started |
Each row ends with the molecule's Medicare spend.
Holders
The companies holding the molecules in the class, ranked by their share of class spend, with the molecules each one holds.
Pharmacy cost per unit
The NADAC acquisition cost per unit for each molecule that has one, highest first. Classes billed as physician-administered drugs under Part B have no pharmacy acquisition cost, and the panel says so.
Molecules by Medicare spend
The full table, one row per molecule:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Molecule | Name and brands. The name opens the Drug Profile; the watch icon adds the molecule to Radar |
| Holder | The brand holder. It opens the company's page on Companies when that company has one |
| Medicare spend, at least | Part D plus Part B, with the Part B part shown below where there is one |
| Share | Share of class spend |
| Competition | n generic makers (or biosimilar makers) with the launch month; Protected to a month with how far away it is and how many makers hold an approval but sell nothing; or No generic sold |
| Staged | Staged generics waiting |
| Shortage | In shortage with the start month |
| NADAC | Acquisition cost per unit |
Related markets
Up to three more markets from the same area (filled from other areas by spend), with an All n markets link back to the overview.
How protection is dated
The protection date for a small-molecule drug is the latest Orange Book patent or exclusivity date, the same date Drug Profile and Patent Cliff use. A biologic with no such date falls back to its reference exclusivity, which is marked est.: it is an estimate, and patents often run past it. A molecule with a generic or biosimilar already on sale, or whose protection date has passed, shows no protection date.
Client report
Share report on a market page creates a public, read-only link to that market:
- Anyone with the link can open it for 30 days, without a Qope account. After that the link stops working.
- It shows the market page as described above, without the watch icons, the previous and next links or the related markets.
- The report header says who shared it and when, the date it was generated and the sources it reads: FDA Orange Book, Purple Book, staged generic approvals, drug shortages and recalls, CMS NADAC and CMS Medicare Part D and Part B data. The footer shows the date the link expires.
- The report is built when it is opened, so it reflects the data Qope holds at that moment, not a frozen copy.
- Print or save as PDF opens your browser's print dialog.
- Report pages are hidden from search engines.
Creating a link needs a Pro or Teams plan. On other plans the button shows Sharing reports requires a Pro or Teams plan.
Exports
These pages have no CSV export. Use the client report to share or print a market, or open a molecule's Drug Profile to export its full profile.
Metering
Opening a market page uses one credit. The overview page does not. Creating and opening a client report does not. See Usage and Limits.
Related
- Companies -- the portfolio of each holder.
- Patent Cliff -- every brand losing protection this year and next, beyond these 13 classes.
- Shortages Tracker -- the full FDA shortage list with supplier context.