Global antibacterials market value to reach USD 45bn by 2012

A new report from Research and Markets has revealed that the value of the global antibacterial market is set to grow to over USD 45bn by 2012.

The total global anti-infective market is currently valued at USD 66.5bn, with antibacterial agents accounting for over 50 per cent of sales.

Future growth, says the report, will be fuelled by the uptake of newer antibacterial agents, such as glycopeptides and carbapenems which demonstrate resistance to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), as well as other emerging strains.

Pharmaceutical companies who continue to develop a new generation of antibacterial agents such as cephalosporins, macrolides and quinolones to overcome the major issue of drug resistance should see significant profits. A number of new drug classes, such as dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors (DHFR), are under evaluation and are effective in multi drug resistant organisms.

In September 2007, Swiss biopharmaceutical company Arpida presented a total of 32 posters at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Chicago. One poster discussed detailed microbiological efficacy data from ASSIST-1, the first of two pivotal phase III trials in complicated skin and skin structure infections.

In the study, iclaprim showed a high microbiological eradication rate against MRSA which was comparable with that of linezolid (84.7 per cent, compared with 85.3 per cent). Another highlight was the poster discussing the results of a large study, investigating iclaprim's efficacy against a panel of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from the US and Europe.

With a total of 4,516 isolates, this was one of the largest surveillance studies ever performed in this area and confirmed iclaprim's potent activity. Apart from the posters on iclaprim, Arpida presented thirteen posters on two additional compounds: AR-709 and AR-2474.

The report assesses the overall antibacterial market, key classes and the drivers and resistors influencing their prescription. The report provides an overview of key products in each category, summarizing their clinical efficacy and marketing position. The overview of the current market is given in terms of segmentation and by leading players and their products and analyzes market trends.