The assessment means the pharmaceuticals industry is on track for another productive year, although not as good as 2015, which saw the arrival of 11 new blockbusters.

The two top hits of 2016 are tipped to be Intercept Pharmaceuticals' (>> Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc) chronic liver disease drug obeticholic acid, with a consensus sales forecast of $2.6 billion in 2020, and Gilead Sciences' (>> Gilead Sciences, Inc.) new fixed dose HIV drug emtricitabine plus tenofovir alafenamide, on $2.0 billion.

Other products expected to launch this year with forecast sales above $1 billion in 2020 include a new hepatitis C drug from Merck (>> Merck & Co., Inc.) and a leukemia medicine from AbbVie (>> AbbVie Inc), according to the annual "Drugs to Watch" report.

Two keenly awaited Roche (>> Roche Holding Ltd.) drugs, each with forecast sales of around $3 billion, are not on list because it is unclear if atezolizumab for cancer and ocrelizumab for multiple sclerosis will be commercially available this year or next.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)