A new report from Decision Resources forecasts substantial growth for China's colorectal cancer drug market. The report entitled Colorectal Cancer in China finds that a rapidly aging population will be a key driving force behind the almost 20% increase in the colorectal cancer diagnosed incident population between 2006 and 2011 in China, as the average life expectancy rises and deaths from infectious disease fall.

"Sustained migration from rural to urban China during the past decades exposes more individuals to risk factors for colorectal cancer, such as Western nutritional patterns and sedentary lifestyles," said Victor Li, analyst at Decision Resources. "The burden of disease will grow disproportionately in cities as a result of urbanization."

The report also finds that Sanofi-Aventis's Eloxatin and Jiangsu LYG Hengrui's Ai Heng will continue to dominate the market, but that sales of Roche's Xeloda and biologics such as Merck's Erbitux and Roche's Avastin will grow most rapidly during the next five years.