US Pharm. 2009;34(9):34-36. 

According to a report from Decision Resources, a research and advisory firm that specializes in pharmaceutical and health care issues, over the next 10 years sales of branded drugs in the dyslipidemia market will erode by some $4 billion worldwide as generic versions are introduced, most notably in the area of key statins such as atorvastatin and rosuvastatin.

Although generic erosion will certainly take place, the report also finds that opportunity exists in the development of agents that modify lipid parameters for the growing number of patients with mixed dyslipidemia, which is characterized by elevated LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels combined with decreased levels of HDL cholesterol.

"We forecast that approximately 6% of patients who are currently prescribed individually formulated statins will be prescribed fixed-dosed combinations containing a statin by 2018," said Decision Resources Analyst Alana Lessi.