Hepatocellular Carcinoma - Opportune indication for novel therapies

The close association with hepatitis means that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is common in developing countries where hepatitis B and C infections are endemic. However, the increasing prevalence of hepatitis in the West means that incidence of HCC in the US and Europe is expected to increase significantly over the coming years.

Typically a disease of the developing countries, incidence of HCC is increasing in the West due to increasing cases of hepatitis infection, thus representing a revenue opportunity for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with targeted therapies.

HCC patients are poorly served by existing treatment options, with only a small proportion amenable to curative therapy such as surgical resection and liver transplantation. Prognosis is poor for unresectable patients, and there remains no standard drug therapy for advanced HCC.

Given the lack of standard of care, R&D interest in HCC is relatively high, with 37 compounds in clinical development. The majority consist of targeted therapies, with Bayer-Schering/Onyx's Nexavar, Genentech/Roche's Avastin and OSI/Genentech/Roche's Tarceva considered to have the highest clinical and commercial potential.

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