Three Chinese companies in the top 10 biosimilar manufacturers

Monday 4 November 2013, Amsterdam

This new report lists three Chinese companies among the top 10 biosimilar drug manufacturers worldwide - the highest representation for any country. Those firms are 3SBio, Beijing SL Pharmaceutical and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical. The generics subsidiary of Novartis, Sandoz, was the world market leader in 2012, with revenues of $335m that year, accounting for a 16.6% share of the world market. Those findings and others appear in Pharma Leader Series: Top 25 Biosimilar Drug Manufacturers 2013-2023, published in September 2013, available on ASDReports.

Although the biosimilars market is still emerging, with only a few drugs available, patent expiries of biological drugs represent a great opportunity for existing manufacturers and new entrants to the market. For example, companies based in South Korea and Argentina are showing strong interest. Owing to the high costs associated with developing and commercialising a biosimilar, large, established drug makers with significant capital are more likely to bring these products to market. Smaller companies usually need alliances with larger manufacturers. The biosimilar portfolios and R&D pipelines of leading manufacturers are analysed and discussed in the new study.

This report provides growth forecasts for eight of the top 25 biosimilar players for the 2013 to 2023 period. Included among them are Sandoz and Teva. Both of these companies market their biosimilars predominantly in developed national markets, including those in the EU. Those two companies account for more than two thirds of the biosimilars market in developed countries. Now, however, emerging-market companies become more prominent, such as those in Latin America and Asia (e.g. Biosidus and LG Life Sciences).

Hemant Mistry, a pharmaceutical industry analyst, said: “The market for biosimilars is becoming increasingly attractive for new entrants. With a number of blockbuster pharmaceuticals losing patent protection in coming years, this presents enormous commercial opportunity not only for companies currently operating in this field, but also for companies interested in developing biosimilars. Also with some smaller companies forming alliances with biosimilar manufacturers, with the goal of launching products in new markets, the market is primed for strong competition, especially with giants such, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly expressing interest in biosimilars.”

This report states that in addition to big pharma, other companies, such as Ratiopharm and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, are also likely to emerge as strong players in the biosimilars industry in the future, as they seek regulatory approval for their drugs in the US. This study expects a rise in the number of applications made by pharma companies to the FDA over the coming 10 years, as that agency finalises draft guidelines for the approval of biosimilars.