BIOSIMILARS and CRAMS...PHARMA BIG PUSH...

The booming business in biosimilars

Various drug makers are set to cash in on the opportunity

Sushmi Dey / New Delhi Sep 27, 2012, 00:51 ISTWhile conventional generics are expected to face competition and pricing pressures in most developed markets, Indian pharmaceutical companies have already started gearing up for the next big thing — biosimilars. These are generic versions of biological medicines that depend on the same mechanism of action, and are used for the same therapeutic indication, as the innovator product. Various drug makers, such as Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Cipla, Lupin and Wockhardt, are all set with their plans to cash in on the opportunity. However, experts suggest that to take advantage of it, these companies need commitment, along with a well-charted strategic plan, investment and technical synergy because biosimilars is a long-term game, with many hurdles on the way. The opportunity The biosimilars industry, globally, has been growing stupendously. According to market estimates, the global market for such drugs is seen at around $30 billion and at a compound annual growth rate of over 50 per cent during 2010-15. This growth is driven by two key events: Upcoming patent expiries of leading biologics and a financial crisis coupled with increasing health care costs that has required systems in almost all developed countries to look for low-cost alternatives. THE NEW WAVE Diseases such as cancer and diabetes will be key areas for biosimilars  Core therapy areas for biologics (MAT 12/2010) Market ($ billion) Insulin 15.9 Anti-TNF 15.8 Oncology (MAb) 12.5 EPO 7.6 Multiple sclerosis 7.3 CFS-G 5.0 Blood coagulation 3.1 Ocular antineovascular 2.0 Antiviral (no-HIV) 1.5 Others 16.5 Source: IMS Health While contribution of innovative biologics is continuously increasing, compared to the total pharmaceutical branded sales, a number of top-selling biologic brands such as Herceptin, Enbrel, Humalog, MabThera, Remicade and Aranesp are expected to go off-patent over the next five years. This will open up a wealth of opportunities for companies developing biosimilars.............................. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=349357092995168227#editor/target=post;postID=6444652784696106335