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Refractory Epilepsy

Neurology
3
Pipeline Programs
6
Companies
9
Clinical Trials
1
Approved Products

Pipeline by Development Stage

Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 1/2
Phase 2
Phase 2/3
Phase 3
On Market
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
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.

On Market (1)

Approved therapies currently available

Lundbeck
ONFIApproved
clobazam
Lundbeck
Benzodiazepine [EPC]oral2012
32M Part D

Competitive Landscape

6 companies ranked by most advanced pipeline stage

Lundbeck
LundbeckDenmark - Copenhagen
1 program
1
clobazamPhase 41 trial
Active Trials
NCT01932502Unknown21Est. Sep 2017
Pins Medical
Pins MedicalChina - Beijing
3 programs
1
Vagus Nerve StimulationPhase 11 trial
PINS Vagus Nerve StimualtorN/A1 trial
PINS'Deep Brain Stimulator deviceN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT03062514Unknown84Est. Dec 2019
NCT02602899Unknown30Est. Dec 2017
NCT02378792Unknown300Est. Dec 2017
Neuroelectrics
NeuroelectricsSpain - Barcelona
2 programs
Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current StimulationN/A1 trial
STARSTIM deviceN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT02866240Completed20Est. Dec 2019
NCT04770337Completed127Est. Jan 2026
UCB Pharma
UCB PharmaBelgium - Brussels
1 program
European Non-interventional Study on Refractory Epilepsy With Developmental DelayN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT04398667Terminated93Est. Sep 2020
Medtronic
MedtronicNJ - Phillipsburg
1 program
Medtronic REVEALN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT00203333Completed19Est. Jan 2010
SK Life Science
SK Life ScienceNJ - Paramus
1 program
RWJ-333369PHASE_21 trial
Active Trials
NCT00228969CompletedEst. May 2006

Trial Timeline

Clinical trial activity over time

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Lundbeckclobazam
SK Life ScienceRWJ-333369
Pins MedicalVagus Nerve Stimulation
NeuroelectricsSTARSTIM device
UCB PharmaEuropean Non-interventional Study on Refractory Epilepsy With Developmental Delay
Pins MedicalPINS Vagus Nerve Stimualtor
NeuroelectricsCathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Pins MedicalPINS'Deep Brain Stimulator device
MedtronicMedtronic REVEAL

Clinical Trials (9)

Total enrollment: 694 patients across 9 trials

Evaluation of Onfi Conversion Therapy Replacing Clonazepam in Patients With Medically Refractory Epilepsy

Start: Feb 2013Est. completion: Sep 201721 patients
Phase 4Unknown

Safety and Efficacy of 333369 in the Treatment of Partial Epilepsy

Start: Feb 2005Est. completion: May 2006
Phase 2Completed
NCT02378792Pins MedicalVagus Nerve Stimulation

Clinical Trial of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Refractory Epilepsy

Start: Aug 2014Est. completion: Dec 2017300 patients
Phase 1Unknown

Pivotal-Safety and Therapeutic Measures of tDCS in Patients With Refractory Focal Epilepsy

Start: Oct 2021Est. completion: Jan 2026127 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT04398667UCB PharmaEuropean Non-interventional Study on Refractory Epilepsy With Developmental Delay

European Non-interventional Study on Refractory Epilepsy With Developmental Delay

Start: Mar 2019Est. completion: Sep 202093 patients
N/ATerminated
NCT03062514Pins MedicalPINS Vagus Nerve Stimualtor

Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Children With Refractory Epilepsy

Start: Oct 2017Est. completion: Dec 201984 patients
N/AUnknown
NCT02866240NeuroelectricsCathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Safety and Therapeutic Measures of Tdcs in Patients With Refractory Focal Epilepsy

Start: Sep 2017Est. completion: Dec 201920 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT02602899Pins MedicalPINS'Deep Brain Stimulator device

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in Refractory Epilepsy

Start: Apr 2015Est. completion: Dec 201730 patients
N/AUnknown
NCT00203333MedtronicMedtronic REVEAL

Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities in Patients With Refractory Epilepsy at High Risk for Sudden Death

Start: Apr 2002Est. completion: Jan 201019 patients
N/ACompleted

Related Jobs in Neurology

Phase Legend

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

Key Insights

6 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.