Perhaps the only surrogate for the “value” of the taxane
skeleton as a drug or lead thereto would be the sales figures
on a worldwide basis and an idea of the number of distinct
compounds that are currently in clinical trials ranging from
phase I through preregistration. Using the worldwide sales
figures from the Prous Integrity database, the total sales in
US $ for the three year period 2006-2008 are just under
$10B, with the majority coming from sales of docetaxel. In
addition, there are currently 14 taxane-based drug candidates
in clinical trials worldwide, 4 in phase III or in preregistration,
8 in phase II, and 2 in phase I, with a number in the
preclinical stages