Latest Frost Reports: Next-Generation Therapeutics for Infectious Diseases; Orphan Drugs Market

Next-Generation Therapeutics

The available antivirals for commonly occurring infections, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza are characterized by variable response, poor tolerability, and suboptimal dosing regimens, limiting their regular use and efficacy. Likewise, the development of resistance to almost every recommended antibiotic for bacterial infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea makes treatment complicated.

Successful commercialization of next-generation therapeutics and the imminent arrival of novel innovative vaccine technologies are expected to address these issues and generate strong growth in the infectious diseases therapeutics market.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s Global Infectious Diseases Therapeutics Market—Influenza, RSV, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhoea finds the influenza vaccine industry is witnessing a shift from conventional egg-based vaccines, which use live attenuated and inactivated viruses, to novel DNA-based, recombinant, sub-unit, and even microbial vector-based approaches. These technologies are becoming popular for their cost benefits and potential for mass production in the event of a pandemic.

“Several new antiviral agents, including short-interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs), antimicrobial peptides, and other anti-inflammatory drugs, are being evaluated in clinical trials for viral infections,” said Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Senior Research Analyst Aiswariya Chidambaram. “These ongoing clinical programs targeting newer classes of antivirals, vaccine technologies, and improved diagnosis are likely to result in more sophisticated levels of treatment.”

While resistance to current drugs and viral/bacterial breakthrough remain key obstacles to effective treatment, the asymptomatic nature of sexually transmitted bacterial infections makes even diagnosis difficult. In many cases, genital infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea go unnoticed, as they are asymptomatic in up to 70% of infected women and up to 50% of infected men.

“Since preventative therapies can help control infectious diseases effectively, vaccines are the way forward, particularly for viral infections,” noted Chidambaram. “In fact, the global infectious diseases therapeutics market will be geared in this direction, as a way to significantly control disease burden.”

For more information on this analysis, please email Anna Zanchi, Corporate Communications, at anna.zanchi@frost.com

Orphan Drugs

The global orphan drugs market presents plenty of opportunities for new drug development – while there are only 172 approved orphan therapies, over 6,800 orphan diseases exist according to the United States National Institute of Health (NIH).

Advancements in drug discovery capabilities coupled with regulatory and financial incentives are helping generate rich, competitive pipelines of breakthrough treatments with true disease-modifying properties. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are now rolling out therapies for serious, rare diseases – going beyond palliative care and targeting the underlying pathology to slow down or stop disease progression – as they value the financial and philanthropic rewards this brings.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s Product and Pipeline Assessment of the Global Orphan Drugs Market identifies rare cancers as the orphan therapeutic area with the highest level of drug development activity. Other disease areas witnessing considerable drug development activity include blood/lymphatic system diseases, infectious/parasitic diseases, neurological diseases, metabolic diseases, and immunological/inflammatory diseases.

“In the past, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies rarely developed new drugs to treat rare diseases due to the low return on investment realized because of the small patient population,” said Frost & Sullivan Life Sciences Senior Industry Analyst Debbie Toscano. “Now, drug discovery for orphan diseases is becoming an important element of the business models of numerous small and large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies looking to strengthen their presence in the global market.”

As a result, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are introducing orphan drugs that use diverse approaches such as small molecules, antisense, gene therapy, monoclonal antibodies, bi-specific antibodies, peptide therapies, and stem cell therapies. Currently, such therapies command premium prices due to the huge clinical benefits they offer and the lack of alternative treatments for patients. Soon, however, they will have to be sold at competitive prices as the existing level of reimbursement will become untenable due to the anticipated approval and commercialization of several orphan drugs for neglected diseases.

“As drug developers abandon the blockbuster model in favor of greater focus on drug development for rare conditions, the global orphan drugs market is becoming increasingly competitive,” noted Toscano. “It is imperative that drug developers continually keep a tab of competitors’ pipelines since approval and reimbursement of new orphan drugs are highly dependent on the availability of alternative therapies.”

For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://bit.ly/1lhf4G2.