To Date, Only One Recognisably Biosimilar Drug, Human Growth Hormone, Has Appeared in Developed Markets: Will a Significant Biosimilar Market Develop?

Business Wire, Sept 13, 2006

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c42003) has announced the addition of Espicom Business Analysis's Biosimilars: a Viable Market? to their offering. E[acute accent]With the regulatory situation in the US in stalemate, defensive originator companies and scientific/production obstacles to overcome, generics companies must ask if this high-reward/high-risk business is worth pursuing. E[acute accent]The future of the pharmaceutical industry lies with biotechnology. Biotech drugs account for around 10-15% of the current pharmaceutical market, and the sector is outperforming the market as a whole. E[acute accent]The issue of the manufacture, approval and marketing of generic biotechnology drugs has become a major source of debate within the industry for two main reasons: E[acute accent]1. Cost containment. Biotech products are expensive to develop, manufacture and administer, and becoming more expensive as newer, more complex treatments are developed. The availability of generics would spur competition and hopefully reduce prices. E[acute accent]2. Patent expiry. Patents in the USA and Europe on the older biotech drugs have either expired or are beginning to expire over the next few years. This makes it possible for generic manufacturers to look at selling biotech drugs. E[acute accent]It would be wrong to say that generic biologicals are impractical however. Manufacturers in Asian, Eastern European and Latin American markets have been selling them for years. But in Western markets, the sector is a new one and there are severe difficulties for potential manufacturers. To date, only one recognisably biosimilar drug, human growth hormone, has appeared in developed markets. E[acute accent]How this pans out in the future is crucial for the whole market. Will a significant biosimilar market develop? Could an abridged regulatory process really benefit generic manufacturers? Is there a political will to change the status quo? Biosimilars: a viable market? is a critical new management report which addresses these and other key issues of concern.

E[acute accent]Products Mentioned Include:

E[acute accent]--Apidra

E[acute accent]--Avonex

E[acute accent]--Betaseron/Betaferon

E[acute accent]--Dynepo

E[acute accent]--Epoetin

E[acute accent]--Epogen/Aranesp

E[acute accent]--Erythropoietin

E[acute accent]--Exubera

E[acute accent]--G-CSF

E[acute accent]--Genotropin

E[acute accent]--Humatrope

E[acute accent]--Humulin and Humalog

E[acute accent]--Lantus

E[acute accent]--Leukine

E[acute accent]--Neorecormon/Epogin

E[acute accent]--Neupogen/Neulasta

E[acute accent]--Neutrogin/Granocyte

E[acute accent]--Norditropin

E[acute accent]--Nutropin

E[acute accent]--Omnitrope

E[acute accent]--Pegasys

E[acute accent]--PEG-Intron

E[acute accent]--Procrit/Eprex

E[acute accent]--Rebif

E[acute accent]--rH Insulin

E[acute accent]--Saizen/Serostim

E[acute accent]--Somatropin

E[acute accent]--Valtropin

E[acute accent]Companies Mentioned include:

E[acute accent]--Amgen

E[acute accent]--Anhui Anke Biotech

E[acute accent]--Aventis

E[acute accent]--Barr Pharmaceuticals

E[acute accent]--Biochallenge

E[acute accent]--Biocon

E[acute accent]--BioGeneriX

E[acute accent]--BioPartners

E[acute accent]--Bioton S.A.

E[acute accent]--Cangene

E[acute accent]--CheilJedang (CJ Corp)

E[acute accent]--Chinese JV

E[acute accent]--CIGB (Cuba)

E[acute accent]--Cipla

E[acute accent]--Dr Reddy's

E[acute accent]--Dragon Pharmaceuticals

E[acute accent]--GeneMedix

E[acute accent]--Genentech HGH

E[acute accent]--GeneScience Pharmaceuticals

E[acute accent]--Genotropin

E[acute accent]--Intron A

E[acute accent]--Johnson & Johnson

E[acute accent]--Lek

E[acute accent]--LG Life Sciences

E[acute accent]--Mayne Pharma

E[acute accent]--Microbix

E[acute accent]--Momenta Pharmaceuticals

E[acute accent]--Neose Technologies

E[acute accent]--Novo Nordisk HGH

E[acute accent]--Oriental Wave Holdings

E[acute accent]--Pfizer

E[acute accent]--Pliva

E[acute accent]--Roche

E[acute accent]--Sandoz

E[acute accent]--Schering Plough Interferon A

E[acute accent]--SciGen

E[acute accent]--Serono HGH Sales

E[acute accent]--Shenyang Sunshine Pharmaceutical Co Ltd

E[acute accent]--Shenzhen Kexing Biotech

E[acute accent]--Shreya Biotech

E[acute accent]--Sicor

E[acute accent]--Stada Arzneimittel

E[acute accent]--Teva Pharmaceuticals

E[acute accent]--Tianjin Hualida Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Co

E[acute accent]--Viropro

E[acute accent]--Wockhardt

E[acute accent]For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c42003