Seven years of steady growth for UCB
Despite the health crisis, which interrupted its ongoing clinical trials for a while, UCB, the Belgian biopharmaceutical company whose main activities are the research, development and marketing of pharmaceutical and biotechnological products, has revealed annual results higher than the latest forecasts.
UCB recorded a turnover of €5.3 billion in 2020, a 9% increase compared to 2019. This result was driven by CIMZIA, which is aimed at people suffering from autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, with sales of nearly €1.8 billion (+5%), and by the antiepileptic drug Vimpat, with sales of €1.45 billion (+10%).
These two patents will be lost in the near future: the Vimpat patent in 2022 and the CIMZIA patent in 2024. To compensate for these sudden losses, the company is primarily counting on the launch of a new product, which is entering the marketing phase and should be available in the second half of 2021: Bimekizumab, for people with moderate to severe psoriasis (an inflammatory skin disease).
But the growth of the new products will be slower than the loss of the patent. This is why growth will be somewhat less regular and less linear between 2021 and 2025. Nevertheless, UCB has stated its goal of growth by 2025 and is counting on a turnover of €6 billion by this date.