Drugs Based On Immune Factors Set To Double In Value By 2011

Main Category: Immune System / Vaccines
Also Included In: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry;  Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 25 Mar 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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The discovery of the ubiquitous nature and influence of the human immune system on health and disease has led to the emergence of a number of powerful drugs that are bringing relief to patients afflicted with heretofore intractable conditions. These drugs include Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira for the treatment of inflammatory autoimmune diseases, Herceptin for oncology, and Avonex and Betaseron for multiple sclerosis. Each of these drugs had more than US $1 billion in sales in 2007. The ability of these and other drugs based on immune medicine to reap significant success in both human and commercial terms is fueling an accelerating level of interest in immune factor drugs for a growing list of ailments.

Therapeutic drug candidates based on immune factors currently in development include a diverse range of cytokines, immune cascade elements, and regulatory factors. These potential future drugs are targeting a spectrum of chronic and/or progressive indications that individually and as a group represent an enormous level of patient morbidity, mortality and diminished quality-of-life. In addition to a growing list of autoimmune and oncology indications, targeted therapeutic applications for pipeline immune factor drug candidates include infectious diseases, hereditary conditions, and metabolic diseases. More than three dozen pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are now active in this sector.

The value of Immune factor drugs worldwide exceeded US $18 billion in 2007. Based on our projections of approved and likely-to-be-commercialized drugs, we expect the value of drugs in this sector to double by 2011.

These findings are contained in a new and comprehensive report: Immune Factor Drugs: Targets, Receptors and Therapeutics. The report analyzes fourteen approved and development-stage therapeutic immune factor drug segments representing sixty individual drugs and pipeline candidates, and examines their probably commercial impact on a dozen important chronic diseases.

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Greystone Associates is a medical and healthcare technology consulting firm providing services in strategic planning, venture development, product commercialization, and technology and market assessment.

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