Biopharmaceuticals "no longer a growth market" in Germany

After years of consistent growth, the German biopharmaceuticals market came to a juddering halt last year. Turnover stagnated at around 5.4 billion euros ($7.13 billion), noted Frank Mathias, chairman of VFA bio and chief executive of biotech firm MediGene, as he introduced this year’s report on medicinal biotechnology in Germany compiled by Boston Consulting Group.

The report encompasses the activities of both small and medium-sized companies and their large, established counterparts, including the subsidiaries of international biotech and pharma firms. VFA bio is the lobby group for the biotech sector within the German pharma association VFA.

In 2011, biopharmaceuticals accounted for 19% of overall drug turnover, which came to 28.7 billion euros - a 3% decline from 2010. So biopharma did comparatively well, although Dr Mathias pointed out that only treatments for immunological diseases saw higher revenues; in other key areas turnover declined. In 2010, genetically engineered drugs had notched up an 8% revenue increase.