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Friedreich's Ataxia

Neurology
13
Pipeline Programs
7
Companies
10
Clinical Trials
0
Approved Products

Pipeline by Development Stage

Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 1/2
Phase 2
Phase 2/3
Phase 3
On Market
0
0
0
2
2
9
0
Early DiscoveryClinical DevelopmentMarket

Neurology is a $26.9B market dominated by a single blockbuster anticoagulant (ELIQUIS), representing a mature but consolidating therapeutic area.

$26.9B marketMature→ Stable30 products15 companies

Key Trends

  • Extreme market concentration: 68% of spending driven by one FXa inhibitor product
  • Psychiatric and migraine therapies emerging as secondary growth drivers
  • High clinical trial activity (8,279 trials) signals continued pipeline development

Career Verdict

Neurology offers solid career stability with good hiring demand, but limited upside growth—best suited for professionals seeking established market positions rather than emerging-area innovation.

AI-generated market analysis based on FDA, CMS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and hiring data

Market Leaders

#1ELIQUISStable
$18.3B
Bristol Myers Squibb·Launch15.0yr
$1.8B
#3BRILINTAStable
$692M
AstraZeneca·Peak10.2yr
#4NUPLAZIDStable
$596M
$530M
Johnson & Johnson·Peak15.6yr

Drug Class Breakdown

FXa Inhibitors (anticoagulant)
$18.3B(68%)

market-defining single product

Dopamine/Serotonin Antagonists (psychiatric)
$2.4B(9%)

stable mature class

P2Y12 Receptor Antagonists (antiplatelet)
$692M(3%)

niche but stable

5-HT2A Inverse Agonists (psychiatric)
$596M(2%)

specialty indication focus

CGRP Receptor Antagonists (migraine)
$931M(3%)

emerging growth segment

Immunomodulators (MS)
$747M(3%)

stable with LOE risk

Other mechanisms
$2.6B(10%)

diverse small products

Career Outlook

Stable

Neurology represents a mature, cash-generative market with limited growth tailwinds but strong hiring stability. The dominance of ELIQUIS creates a bifurcated career landscape: high-opportunity positions in emerging segments (CGRP antagonists, psychiatric therapeutics) and commoditized roles in anticoagulant franchises. Job availability is solid but growth expectations should be tempered relative to oncology or immunology.

Breaking In

Entry-level professionals should target clinical operations or commercial support roles at J&J, AstraZeneca, or Sanofi to build domain expertise in neurology disease states and competitive dynamics.

For Experienced Professionals

Experienced professionals should prioritize emerging mechanism roles (CGRP, tau-targeting programs) or pivot to medtech/neurotech (Stryker, Medtronic) to capture higher growth and salary potential than traditional pharma incumbents.

In-Demand Skills

Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) for specialist engagementClinical trial operations expertisePsychiatric/neurodegenerative disease educationRegulatory affairs (given patent cliff activity)Commercial strategy around branded/generic transitions

Best For

Medical Science LiaisonCommercial Brand Manager (anticoagulant/psychiatric franchises)Clinical Operations ManagerRegulatory Affairs SpecialistClinical Development Manager (CGRP/immunomodulator pipelines)

Hiring Landscape

$100K-$199K

Neurology shows moderate but distributed hiring across pharma and medtech employers, with 4,186 total jobs listed. Commercial functions lead (947 roles, $169K avg), followed by clinical operations (467 roles, $132K avg), indicating bias toward commercialization over R&D. Takeda leads external hiring (762 jobs) with strong representation in contract research and CRO spaces.

4,186
Open Roles
5
Companies Hiring
5
Departments

Top Hiring Companies

762Growing
434Stable
302Stable

By Department

Commercial(23%)
$169K
Clinical Operations(11%)
$132K
Engineering(8%)
$199K
IT(4%)
$100K
Manufacturing(3%)
$170K

Commercial and clinical operations roles dominate, offering stable mid-career positions; engineering roles command premium salaries ($199K), suggesting strong device/neurotech hiring pockets.

Competitive Landscape

5 companies ranked by most advanced pipeline stage

Alliance Pharmaceuticals
5 programs
1
1
3
Interferon γ-1bPhase 31 trial
Interferon γ-1bPhase 31 trial
interferon γ-1bPhase 31 trial
vareniclinePhase 2/31 trial
EPI-743Phase 21 trial
Active Trials
NCT01962363Completed4Est. Jun 2016
NCT00803868Terminated28Est. May 2010
NCT02415127Completed92Est. Nov 2016
+2 more trials
Santhera Pharmaceuticals
Santhera PharmaceuticalsSwitzerland - Pratteln
4 programs
4
IdebenonePhase 31 trial
IdebenonePhase 31 trial
IdebenonePhase 31 trial
idebenonePhase 31 trial
Active Trials
NCT00697073Completed68Est. May 2010
NCT01303406Completed29Est. Jul 2012
NCT00537680Completed70Est. Apr 2009
+1 more trials
Amgen
AmgenTHOUSAND OAKS, CA
2 programs
2
Interferon γ-1bPhase 3
interferon γ-1bPhase 3
Pfizer
PfizerNEW YORK, NY
1 program
1
vareniclinePhase 2/3
Lundbeck
LundbeckDenmark - Copenhagen
1 program
1
Lu AA24493Phase 21 trial
Active Trials
NCT01016366Completed36Est. Apr 2011

Trial Timeline

Clinical trial activity over time

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Alliance Pharmaceuticalsinterferon γ-1b
Alliance PharmaceuticalsInterferon γ-1b
Alliance PharmaceuticalsInterferon γ-1b
Santhera PharmaceuticalsIdebenone
Santhera PharmaceuticalsIdebenone
Santhera PharmaceuticalsIdebenone
Santhera Pharmaceuticalsidebenone
Alliance Pharmaceuticalsvarenicline
Alliance PharmaceuticalsEPI-743
LundbeckLu AA24493

Clinical Trials (10)

Total enrollment: 683 patients across 10 trials

Long-Term Safety Extension Study of ACTIMMUNE® (Interferon γ-1b) in Children and Young Adults With Friedreich's Ataxia

Start: Jun 2016Est. completion: Mar 201738 patients
Phase 3Completed

Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of ACTIMMUNE® Dose Escalation in Friedreich's Ataxia Study

Start: Dec 2015Est. completion: Mar 201786 patients
Phase 3Completed

Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of ACTIMMUNE® Dose Escalation in Friedreich's Ataxia

Start: Jun 2015Est. completion: Nov 201692 patients
Phase 3Completed

Patient Reported Outcomes in Friedreich's Ataxia Patients After Withdrawal From Treatment With Idebenone (PROTI)

Start: Apr 2011Est. completion: Jul 201229 patients
Phase 3Completed

Study to Assess the Safety and Tolerability of Idebenone in the Treatment of Friedreich's Ataxia Patients

Start: Jul 2008Est. completion: May 201068 patients
Phase 3Completed

Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Idebenone in the Treatment of Friedreich's Ataxia

Start: Dec 2007Est. completion: Apr 200970 patients
Phase 3Completed

A Study of Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Idebenone in the Treatment of Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) Patients

Start: Apr 2006Est. completion: Jan 2010232 patients
Phase 3Completed

Pilot Study of Varenicline (Chantix®) in the Treatment of Friedreich's Ataxia

Start: May 2009Est. completion: May 201028 patients
Phase 2/3Terminated

EPI-743 in Friedreich's Ataxia Point Mutations

Start: Oct 2013Est. completion: Jun 20164 patients
Phase 2Completed

Safety Study of Carbamylated Erythropoietin to Treat Patients With the Neurodegenerative Disorder Friedreich's Ataxia

Start: Oct 2009Est. completion: Apr 201136 patients
Phase 2Completed

Related Jobs in Neurology

Phase Legend

PreclinicalLab & animal studies
Phase 1Safety & dosing
Phase 2Efficacy testing
Phase 3Large-scale trials
On MarketApproved & available

Key Insights

9 late-stage (Phase 3) programs, potential near-term approvals
7 companies competing in this space

The information on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Drug information is sourced from FDA, DailyMed, and other government databases. Adverse event data from FAERS does not establish causation. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical decisions.