IMS Health

Biotech drug sales grow 12.5% in 2007

Maureen Martino — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:05:53 -0400

Pharmaceuticals may be struggling, but biotech drugs are on fire. According to an IMS Health study, global sales of biotech drugs increased 12.5 percent in 2007 to more than $75 billion; that's twice as fast as the pharmaceutical market, which increased 6.4 percent in 2007. The growth is the result of several factors, including additional indications for existing products, recent innovations, and the growth of biologic drug sales outside the U.S. Oncology, auto-immune agents, diabetes drugs and vaccines accounted for most of the growth. Last year, 22 biotech products exceeded $1 billion in sales, compared with just six products in 2002.

The forecast isn't entirely positive, however. Growth was down in 2007 compared to 2006. "Loss of exclusivity and competition from biosimilars, crowded therapy areas with weaker sales growth, payers showing more reluctance to fund innovative drugs without compelling value propositions, and safety concerns for some therapies will all contribute to a more moderate growth environment through 2012," warned Murray Aitken, the study's author. "[C]ompanies with biotech products in their portfolios will succeed only if they meet increasingly demanding regulatory standards, deploy effective commercial models that are accompanied by compelling evidence of their products' value, and develop pricing and market access strategies that ensure that patients have access to the benefits that these new products deliver."

- see the report for more

SPOTLIGHT: Pace of outsourcing accelerating, IMS says

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:53 -0400

Drugmakers are pulling out of manufacturing at an unprecedented rate, according to a new report from IMS Health. Four of the top 10 pharma players announced big new outsourcing programs last year. That's evidence that pharma execs are thinking in vastly different ways from their predecessors, who believed R&D and manufacturing had to work hand-in-glove, and that the skills required to make drugs couldn't be found in emerging markets. Outsourcing report

ALSO NOTED: Ambrilia touts data; Amarin raises $60M; and much more...

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Ambrilia Biopharma reported positive 24-week Phase III top-line results for prolonged-release formulation of Octreotide. Release

> Amarin is raising $60 million through a stock placement. Release

> Acorda Therapeutics CEO Ron Cohen has exercised stock options for 31,432 shares. Report

> A federal proposal requiring drug and device makers to disclose payments to doctors got a boost yesterday when Eli Lilly became the first Big Pharma to back it. Lilly report

> In an interesting twist on the usual generics news, it's the copycat makers who are predicted to suffer as competitors undercut their products. The source of this competition? None other than China. Generics report

> The NIH's Avastin/Lucentis trial could fundamentally reshape relations between payers and pharma, according to IMS Health. Report

> After weeks of pressure from Congress to request more money for the agency--and weeks of refusals to specify a figure for beefing up FDA's safety operations-FDA commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach has asked lawmakers for $275 million. FDA report

And Finally... South Korean officials have wiped out the poultry population of Seoul in an effort to combat the spread of the avian flu virus. Report

ALSO NOTED: Acadia reports positive psychosis data; Alcon drug gets approval; FDA green lights migraine drug; and much more...

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Without emerging healthcare markets like China and India, global pharma would be in a world of hurt. The global market for meds reached $712 billion last year, according to a new report from IMS Health, up $178 billion over five years before. Report

> The UK's Acadia Pharmaceuticals has reported positive data from a mid-stage study of pimavanserin for the treatment of psychosis in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patients experienced a benefit for psychosis without impacting motor function. Release

> Alcon's hay fever drug Patanase has been approved by the FDA, and analysts expect it will compete well against MedPointe's antihistamine Astelin. Release

> The FDA has approved a new combination migraine therapy developed by Pozen and GlaxoSmithKline. Treximate combines sumatriptan, the active ingredient in GSK's painkiller Imitrex, with naproxen sodium. Release

> Zelos Therapeutics and Aegis Therapeutics have inked a deal to collaborate on the development of an intranasal spray formulation of the proprietary parathyroid hormone analog ZT-031 (Ostabolin-C(TM), cyclic PTH-(1-31). Release

> StemCells issued a release claiming that the US patent office had upheld two of its patents in a dispute with NeuralStem. And NeuralStem fired back a release saying that StemCells got it all wrong. Release | Report

> Genentech is upping its stock buyback program by $2 billion. Report

> A research team has combined a nanoparticle platform used in imaging growing blood vessels and combined it with the fungal drug fumagillin to create a new weapon to fight the growth of tumors. Report

> A dozen new Biomedical Research Units created under the U.K.'s National Institute for Health Research will receive more than €56 million to fund translational work on ailments that include obesity and heart disease. Report

> Merck wrote its own articles on Vioxx research and then paid prestigious doctors to append their bylines, according to a new JAMA report. Report

> According to a study by Verispan, 47 percent of docs thought they got as much info from e-promotions as face-to-face detailing by reps, and 21 percent thought it was better than the real, live thing. Report

> The FDA believes Baxter International's recalled heparin was tainted "by virtue of economic fraud," Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach told a Senate panel yesterday. Report

And Finally... A new advance in cloning could lead to designer babies. Report

SPOTLIGHT: Pharma growth drops to 1961 levels

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:59:53 -0400

IMS Health is out with its new annual pharma sales report, and it's not pretty. Revenue grew by only 3.8 percent to $286.5 billion, the slowest pace of expansion since 1961. By contrast, sales expanded by 6 percent in 2006. Total prescription volume rose only by 2.8 percent, compares with 4.6 percent the previous year. One bright spot for the biotech industry? Biotech product sales expanded by 9 percent, and specialist-driven therapies by 10 percent. Report

ALSO NOTED: Lentigen moves to Gaithersburg; Acorda prices shares; Cytheris releases data; and much more...

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Lentigen Corporation today announced the company is moving its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities from the University of Maryland Baltimore County TechCenter to a new 26,000 square-foot facility in Gaithersburg. Release

> Acorda Therapeutics has priced a share offering at $21.50. Report

> Cytheris released new data from a Phase I/II study designed to investigate the safety of Interleukin-7 therapy in chronically HIV-1 infected patients. Release

> Combimatrix won a $31.4 million judgment in its lawsuit against an insurer. Release

> Watson Pharmaceuticals says its NDA for the enlarged prostate drug silodosin has been accepted for filing by the FDA. Report

> The Ketek saga has opened a new chapter, with subpoenas and accusations and even threats. Report

> Want a preview of some "sobering" and "possibly a little alarming" market data? IMS Health gave preliminary figures on the state of the pharma industry to the Health Industry Group Purchasing Organization. Brace yourself: U.S. market growth for drugs grew by only 3.8 percent in 2007--the worst growth rate since 1961. Report

> Will a new Avastin-in-breast-cancer study persuade the FDA? Genentech hopes so. Report

> It's a new blow for the controversial painkiller fentanyl. Johnson & Johnson and Sandoz are recalling defective fentanyl patches that could cause patients or caregivers to overdose. Report

> A protein may hold the key to a new vaccine that could effectively target pneumonia, according to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Report

> In a first, Geron made headlines at the BIO CEO conference in New York with its announcement that it could begin its first human trials using embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries as early as this spring. Report

And Finally... Long after Sept. 11, 2001, Americans' terrorism-related thoughts and fears are associated with increased depression, anxiety, hostility, post-traumatic stress and drinking, University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have found. Release

ALSO NOTED: Osiris inks $224M contract; Baxter and Nektar to collaborate;and much more...

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Osiris Therapeutics has inked a deal with the U.S. Defense Department to supply a potential $224 million worth of Prochymal for use in treating military personnel exposed to radiation. Release

> Osiris also regained all worldwide rights to Prochymal. Release

> Baxter International and Nektar Therapeutics are teaming up to investigate new therapies for a rare form of hemophilia. Report

> BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics has expanded its collaboration with Rutgers University aimed at curing spinal cord injuries through adult stem cell research. Release

> Jazz Pharmaceuticals has received orphan drug designation for an experimental epilepsy therapy. Report

> Waltham, MA-based Magen BioSciences has acquired the rights to dermatology compounds from Eli Lilly. Report

> Making a living off pharmaceutical companies suddenly isn't so lucrative: IMS Health, the market research company responsible for so much of the hard data on drug sales, is laying off about 10 percent of its work force. Report

> Celgene announced that it expects fiscal 2007 profits to double to $1.05 per share, as sales of its cancer drug Revlimid skyrocket. Report

> As if Amgen didn't have enough to worry about with its anemia drugs under fire. The company is defending itself against charges of bull-whipping sales reps into marketing drugs off label and violating patients' privacy. Report

And Finally... A pharma nightmare with an English accent: The UK government wants to slash prices for prescription drugs by 10 percent. Report

ALSO NOTED: Sucampo Pharma names new CEO; Genetic tests are going DTC at a fast pace; Panel: Give FDA power to recall; and much

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> Teva and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology are exploring a pact to develop stem cell lines for research work. Report

> Chutes & Ladders: Sucampo Pharma has named Kunihiko Soneoka as representative director, president and CEO. Release

> Predictive gene-based tests are going DTC, and a number of experts worry that it's all happening way too fast. Article

> A presidential panel is set to recommend giving the agency the authority to recall products all by its lonesome. Report

> The northward migration of drug buyers is slackening, according to pharmaceuticals datameister IMS Health. In 2006 U.S. customers only spent $211 on meds from Canadian pharmacies, compared with $420 million in 2005. Report

> Better late than never, Bristol-Myers Squibb might say. In a move that's sure to incite debate, the FDA says it will allow BMS to market its schizophrenia med Abilify for use in adolescents. Report

> Can poor countries get the meds they need for their people only by circumventing patents? That's the debate this week at a WHO confab aimed at supplying the developing world with the drugs it needs. Report

> A report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation sheds new light on the role of WNK kinases in regulating blood pressure, which in likely to trigger research into new therapies for the very common, lethal disease. Report

> What do Tokyo teenagers falling from buildings have in common with Roche? Possibly Tamiflu. Report

And Finally… A novel vaccine developed at The Scripps Research Institute at La Jolla may offer a new way to block infections without sparking bacterial resistance. Report

ALSO NOTED: Pharma growth sinking to historic low; Neurocrine gains Japanese partner; OccuLogix suspends development program;an

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:59:50 -0400

> Here's statistical confirmation of the gloom-and-doom facing Big Pharma. Worldwide sales growth will slow next year to around 5 percent from 6 to 7 percent this year, according to a new report from IMS Health. Report

> Japan's Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma will pay Neurocrine Biosciences $20 million up front plus an additional milestone payment of $10 million for the Japanese licensing rights to the insomnia drug indiplon, which has been filed for approval by the FDA. The PDUFA action date on indiplon is December 12. Release

> OccuLogix has already put itself up on the sales block as it signals its willingness to do a deal of some sort. Now the company says it is suspending development of its RHEO System for dry, age-related macular degeneration. In early October the company announced that it would consider every option in maximizing shareholder value, including a sale, but couldn't confirm whether or not it could complete a deal. Release

> ZymoGenetics is boosting spending in preparation for launching rThrombin, designed to control bleeding during surgery, causing its losses for the third quarter to go up. Report

> It's a one-two punch for AstraZeneca today. A Canadian drug maker is challenging AZ's patent on the cholesterol drug Crestor, one of its top sellers at $2 billion--and a linchpin of its profits over the next few years. Meanwhile, the company reported a 15 percent drop in profits. Report

> Score one for GlaxoSmithKline. The company won an injunction against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, successfully blocking implementation of new rules governing patent continuances, at least temporarily. Report

> What's your pick for the most memorable drug ad of the 2006-2007 season? If you picked that Lunasta moth, you win. Report

And Finally... Nematode worms treated with lithium show a 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the tantalizing question of whether humans taking the mood affecting drug are also taking an anti-aging medication. Release