Monoclonal antibody products to boost drug delivery market

Published: 31-Mar-2011

One of the largest classes of biopharmaceuticals in development, according to Kalorama report


An array of new monoclonal antibody products will enter the market in coming years driving growth in the US$60.6bn global market for advanced drug delivery systems, according a report by US healthcare research company Kalorama Information.

Monoclonals are the special antibodies that bind to a particular substance, such as a cancerous cell, which they can then detect and treat.

The first monoclonal antibody, Rituxan (Biogen IDEC), was approved in November 1997. The product is indicated for the treatment of relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

In 1998, Centocor launched Remicade for the treatment of colorectal cancer. The product was combined with methotrexate and was subsequently approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

Since then many products have appeared on the marketplace, including MedImmune’s Synagis, a humanised monoclonal antibody that prevents the lower respiratory tract disease in infants caused by respiratory syncytial virus.

According to Kalorama’s report, Advanced Drug Delivery Markets (Liposomes, Polymers and Monoclonal Antibodies), which analyses several trends, including molecular imprinted polymers, antibiotic biodegradable implants, hot-melt extrusion technology, sorbent technology, and gene therapy drug delivery, growth has slowed in recent years, but these products are still increasing the market for biopharmaceuticals.

‘Monoclonal antibodies represent one of the largest classes of biotechnological drugs being developed,’ said Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information. ‘While you won't see the double-digit growth that you saw in past years in this area, monoclonal antibodies remain an important part of this multi-billion dollar market.’

Kalorama's report lists more than 25 products that are in Phase III and in excess of 70 in development targeting diseases such as MS, Alzheimer's, asthma, and various forms of cancer.

According to Kalorama, Roche is the clear market leader with five of the top monoclonal antibodies on the market – Avastin, Herceptin, Lucentis, Rituxan and Xolair. The Swiss pharmaceutical company also has at least four monoclonal products in development. Competitors Abbott, Pfizer and Novartis are also developing products.

The report concentrates on liposome and polymer drug delivery, as well as monoclonal antibodies.

You may also like