Antibacterial drugs market will hit $35.6 billion by 2022, as efforts increase to tackle antimicrobial resistance: GBI Research

Use of protein synthesis inhibitors to grow but vaccines will be leading revenue generating drugs

The antibacterial drugs market is set to grow from $27.7 billion in 2015 to $35.6 billion by 2022, representing a CAGR of 3.97 per cent, as per GBI Research.

The company’s report states that emerging companies and approvals of new products will drive this growth, along with the continued success of established marketed products Infanrix and Augmentin.

Thomas Jarratt, Associate Analyst, GBI Research, explains, “In an attempt to tackle antimicrobial resistance, many companies are investing in the development of products active against bacteria that are known to be resistant to established classes of antibacterials. The use of protein synthesis inhibitors, for example, is expected to increase dramatically over the forecast period as a result of their effectiveness in treating drug-resistant bacterial infections.”

With many protein synthesis inhibitors now off-patent, and with bacteria having developed resistance to a wide range of these drugs, GBI Research believes several of the pipeline drugs for the next – generation of protein synthesis will be approved and enter the market within the forecast period, and will benefit from the commercial focus on treating drug-resistant infections. These include Solithera (solithromycin), Arikace (amikacin sulfate), Cadazolid (cadazolid), and Plazomicin (plazomicin sulfate).

Jarratt continues, “Despite this influx of new protein synthesis inhibitors and the release of several new cell-wall synthesis inhibitors, vaccines will still be the leading revenue generating drugs in the antibacterial drugs market. Indeed, the lack of biosimilars for antibacterial vaccines means that generic competition does not impact on sales as it does for other types of drugs, and many developed countries implement schedules for vaccines preventing certain indications.

“Merck’s blockbuster Prevnar, for example, has benefitted greatly from this, and its efficacy in infants for the prevention of 13 serotypes of streptococcus pneumonia, the causative agent in pneumonia, has led to widespread global usage in vaccination schedules, culminating in very high revenue.”