Abbott Laboratories’ $9-billion arthritis drug Humira is set to take the crown as the world’s top-selling medicine this year, highlighting the dominance of costly biotechnology products as revenues from old-style pills decline. Neither of last year’s biggest sellers - Pfizer’s cholesterol fighter Lipitor or blood thinner Plavix from Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb - will even make it into the top 10 in 2012, according to consensus forecasts compiled by Thomson Reuters Pharma. The dramatic shift in the sales landscape, triggered by a record wave of patent expiries, will be centre-stage during the forthcoming quarterly results season as investors weigh up how leading pharmaceutical companies are adapting.
