Europa: Biosimilares $4 billiones en 2017

The European biosimilars market is expected to reach nearly $4 billion by 2017 after the expiration of patents and other intellectual rights opens new opportunities, a new report predicts.

Frost & Sullivan’s Analysis of European Biosimilars Market predicts the industry will record annual growth of more than 50% in the next five years as physicians and patients search for cheaper medication.

Srinivas Sashidhar, a Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, says the next decade “opens up opportunities for biosimilars to enter the market and increase industry competition”.

The report notes that the biosimilars manufacturing industry is at a nascent stage. The market earned revenue of around $172 million in 2010, research found.

However, while there are plenty of opportunities for growth, the market will require sizeable investment – especially smaller firms. Complex production processes, expensive materials and rigorous clinical trials require significant investment, the report adds.

“The need for considerable financial outlays will hinder the entry of small biotech firms in particular,” warns Mr Sashidhar. “On the other hand, specialty pharmaceutical companies with biotech expertise and financial capabilities are well positioned to venture into the biosimilars market.”

Another obstacle the market faces is high manufacturing costs. But, the report says, viable prospects for licensing agreement between companies should overcome this. “Access to sales and marketing capabilities can be achieved through collaborations between pharmaceutical companies and specialty biotech firms with technical expertise,” said Sashidhar. “Companies can build sales and marketing capabilities in-house and ensure effective marketing support for the commercialisation of biosimilars.”

If the market is to realise its potential in the next decade, the report advises effective sales communication to the scientific community, coupled with continuous promotional activities as well as close and constant interaction with doctors and pharmacists. (Ver)

Ver Biosimilares en PHARMACOSERIAS y Biosimilars

Ver también:

European biosimilar market will be worth $4bn a year by 2017

'Huge' market opportunity for European biosimilars – report/Pharma Times

Dia "Enfermedades raras"

Hace cinco años, nace en Europa la iniciativa de proclamar el último día de febrero, como el día oficial de un movimiento internacional en pro de las “Enfermedades Raras” y todas sus implicaciones. Actualmente, se han unido a esta causa más de 60 países, bajo el lema: “Unidos, la diferencia nos hace fuertes”, buscando unificar y apoyar a los pacientes de las aproximadamente siete mil enfermedades raras que han sido identificadas hasta los momentos.
Según la Unión Europea, se considera a una enfermedad como “rara” cuando afecta a 1 en 2.000 personas, mientras que en EE.UU se considera la proporción de 1 en 1.500 personas. Estas estadísticas demuestran que pudieran ser pocos los casos por tipo, pero al considerar que son más de siete mil patologías poco frecuentes, las cifras se elevan a decenas de millones de personas en todo el mundo, estimando que existen aproximadamente 60 millones de personas afectadas entre Europa y los Estados Unidos de América, mientras que solo en Latinoamérica se estiman 50 millones.




Enfermedades raras en PHARMACOSERÍAS

UK: Negativa (DoH) a reclamos de GSK...

Ministers have rejected claims by the UK's biggest drug firm GlaxoSmithKline that new cancer treatments are being delayed to save money.

"Strategic thoughtfulness" was being lost in the "stampede" to cut costs, GSK chief Sir Andrew Witty said.

It was a Europe-wide problem as governments coped with austerity and got more anxious about debts, he added.

.../...

Mr Witty, the head of the pharmaceutical giant, told the BBC: "We're seeing oncology drugs being systematically delayed from introduction and reimbursement.

"We're seeing a variety of the more innovative, and yes more expensive medicines, being delayed in a whole series of different diseases across Europe."

"Ultimately it's one of those situations where the drift will be imperceptibly happening, but when you look back in five or 10 years, a huge gap will have opened up."

He also said the government had cut prices by 5% a year as it got more and more anxious about its debt position - costing the firm £300m a year.

.../...

The DoH said the government had increased spending on health, including new drugs, with thousands more patients getting access to the most advanced treatments.

"The need for careful assessment of drugs' effectiveness by Nice is particularly important for patients and taxpayers during a time of economic austerity," it said.

"The government has not changed any assessment processes relating to cancer drugs.

"Furthermore, drug companies need to look hard at the high costs they are asking of the health service for their latest treatments."

…/…

But Alan Maynard, a professor of health economics, argued drug firms were demanding much higher prices than were reasonable, and the economies were justified.

"Nice are looking for good evidence and the industry is rather poor in doing good trials and telling us about the full effectiveness - which is often marginal," he said.

"I think it's quite inevitable that in a period of austerity there will be downward pressure on the introduction of new drugs that are not demonstrably good in terms of improving patient health and which are extraordinarily expensive."

GlaxoSmithKline reported pre-tax profits of £1.9bn during the three months to the end of December 2011, up from a £193m loss during the same period in 2010.

For the whole year, the firm (GSK) reported pre-tax profit of £8.2bn, up from £4.5bn in 2010.

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