While Provenge sipuleucel-T from Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ:DNDN)
disappointed investors in 2011, two new drugs - Prolia/Xgeva denosumab and
Incivek telaprevir - are likely to come close to or exceed $500 million in
annual sales within the first year or two post-launch, and generic enoxaparin
from Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:MNTA) will likely top $1
billion in 2011 sales. Denosumab, from Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) had
sales of $339 million for the first nine months of 2011. It is approved as
Prolia to treat osteoporosis and as Xgeva to prevent skeletal related events in
adults with bone metastases. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTX)
launched Incivek for HCV in May 2011, and had already posted sales of $494.1
million as of Sept. 30, 2011. Momenta's enoxaparin was launched in 2010 by
Sandoz, the generics unit of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN), and raked
in $790 million in sales during the first nine months of 2011.
Dendreon's shares ended 2011 down 78%. Last August,
the company withdrew its full-year revenue guidance of $350-$400 million on
lower-than-expected uptake of the prostate cancer immunotherapy