Key hospital-infections markets set to grow to over $4 billion in 2020; report

Despite market constraints that include intensified competition, generic erosion and an increasingly stringent regulatory and reimbursement environment, the drug market for key hospital-treated infections that are of high interest to drug developers - most notably nosocomial pneumonia, bloodstream infections, skin and skin structure/surgical site infections and urinary tract infections - will increase from $3.3 billion in 2010 to just over $4 billion in 2020 in the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan.

The uptake of eight new therapies, as well as Forest/AstraZeneca/Dainippon Sumitomo’s anti-MRSA cephalosporin Teflaro (ceftaroline fosamil; which launched in the USA in 2011), will help offset sales losses and will account for 3%of major-market sales in 2020, according to a new report from advisory firm Decision Resources.

The findings from DR’s Pharmacor topic entitled Hospital-Treated Infections reveal that, through 2020, generic erosion of nine key branded products - most notably Pfizer’s Zyvox (linezolid) - will be a major constraint to market growth. Additionally, although the market is currently dominated by parenteral agents, drug developers have recognized a long-standing need for agents that are available in an interchangeable intravenous and oral formulation, and several such agents are poised to launch over the next decade.