Antibacterial drug sales will reach $42.75bn in 2018 predicts new industry analysis

Friday 9 May 2014, Amsterdam

A new report predicts the overall world market for human antibiotics will reach $42.75bn in 2018. That revenue forecast and others appear in Antibacterial Drugs: World Industry and Market Prospects 2014-2024, published in March 2014.

The new report forecasts the overall market for antibacterial drugs will gradually expand in revenues from 2014 to 2024. Antibacterials form an important part of pharmaceutical spending and are consumed in high volume in developed and emerging countries. Widening access to healthcare in developing countries and demands for fighting treatment-resistant bacteria worldwide stimulate that market. The future there will benefit patients and healthcare companies.

Jonathan Weymer, a pharmaceutical industry analyst, said: “There is growing need for novel antibacterial medicines in established and emerging national markets, owing to the rising prevalence of treatment-resistant bacteria. There is huge demand for drugs to treat Gram-negative infections, which cause over 75 million days of therapy in the US and Europe each year. The late-stage R&D pipeline for these drugs isn’t particularly strong, but we believe Ceftrolozane-Tazobactam (Cubist Pharmaceuticals) stands out. That agent has the potential to be the first antibacterial blockbuster launched since 2003.

“We must also mention generic competition. Many products have gone off-patent. Successful treatments such as Zyvox and Cubicin will lose market exclusivity in the next few years, and generics in that market will also give low-cost competition for newly launched antibacterial drugs from 2014 to 2024.

“Our research evaluates access to the antibacterial drug markets and how recent changes to regulatory guidelines, clinical approval, and market exclusivity improve commercial potentials for antibacterial drug developers. We discuss challenges and opportunities for companies, from generic manufacturers to early stage biotechs and large pharma corporations. The antibiotics industry also holds potential for collaborations to develop and market products.”