12. May 2010
Medical Biotechnology Holds Steady During Crisis
“Medical Biotechnology has weathered the economic crisis well. In 2009, the sale of bio-pharmaceuticals have grown moderately to well, by about 5% to €4.7 billion. In comparison to previous years, growth has been flattened. With around 35,000 highly qualified employees – somewhat more than last year – medical biotechnology has contributed significantly to the economy and to research in Germany.” This was announced at the launch of the Industry Report “Medical Biotechnology 2010” by Dr. Frank Mathias, Chairman of vfa bio and CEO of MediGene AG, Martinsried. The report was produced for the vfa bio by the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Biotechnology interest group for the vfa bio. The study provides an overview of the German biopharmaceutical industry, and analyzes the medical biotech activities of small and medium-sized companies, as well as large corporations.
“Whether we foresee a similarly optimistic financial position for next year as well is, however, questionable,” Mathias warned. Current health policy is not aimed at creating the conditions necessary for such an outcome. “Drastic and sudden market intervention by the government, such as the strong increase of compulsory rebates, destroys any ability to plan, makes securing capital for small and medium-sized Biotech firms more difficult, and thwarts public funding programs in this sector. This is by no means a future-oriented innovation policy!”
Biopharmaceuticals, i.e., genetically engineered drugs, have helped make crucial advancements in the field of medicine. They constitute approximately 16% of all pharmaceutical sales. In some areas, their importance is highly significant, such as in the treatment of immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis: here they account for 67% of all drug sales. In the treatment of cancer and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, biopharmaceuticals account for roughly one third of drug sales. As compared to the previous year, sales grew predominantly in the application areas of immune diseases and oncology (+26% and +17%, respectively).
“Companies invest large sums each year in research and development of new biotechnology drugs, and are met with great success: 12 new biopharmaceuticals were approved in Germany during 2009, and the number of new drugs in clinical development grew by an additional 12%,” according to Mathias. By the end of 2009, around 470 drugs were part of clinical studies or already in the approval process – among them many cancer drugs or vaccines.
Medical biotechnology has always played a pioneering role in producing drugs for children, as Mathias reported: Around two-thirds of all biopharmaceuticals are either approved for children, or made exclusively for them. Often, companies have developed their drugs from the outset with an eye towards their applications for children – such as in the cases of growth hormones, insulin, or in enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe disease. “These projects were initiated long before the mid-2008 European regulations on medicines for children made pediatric developments mandatory,” Mathias stressed. The important applications of biopharmaceuticals for children are detailed in the print version of “Medical Biotechnology 2010”, which will be released in June 2010.
(© Boehringer Ingelheim)
“Whether we foresee a similarly optimistic financial position for next year as well is, however, questionable,” Mathias warned. Current health policy is not aimed at creating the conditions necessary for such an outcome. “Drastic and sudden market intervention by the government, such as the strong increase of compulsory rebates, destroys any ability to plan, makes securing capital for small and medium-sized Biotech firms more difficult, and thwarts public funding programs in this sector. This is by no means a future-oriented innovation policy!”
Biopharmaceuticals, i.e., genetically engineered drugs, have helped make crucial advancements in the field of medicine. They constitute approximately 16% of all pharmaceutical sales. In some areas, their importance is highly significant, such as in the treatment of immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis: here they account for 67% of all drug sales. In the treatment of cancer and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, biopharmaceuticals account for roughly one third of drug sales. As compared to the previous year, sales grew predominantly in the application areas of immune diseases and oncology (+26% and +17%, respectively).
“Companies invest large sums each year in research and development of new biotechnology drugs, and are met with great success: 12 new biopharmaceuticals were approved in Germany during 2009, and the number of new drugs in clinical development grew by an additional 12%,” according to Mathias. By the end of 2009, around 470 drugs were part of clinical studies or already in the approval process – among them many cancer drugs or vaccines.
Medical biotechnology has always played a pioneering role in producing drugs for children, as Mathias reported: Around two-thirds of all biopharmaceuticals are either approved for children, or made exclusively for them. Often, companies have developed their drugs from the outset with an eye towards their applications for children – such as in the cases of growth hormones, insulin, or in enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe disease. “These projects were initiated long before the mid-2008 European regulations on medicines for children made pediatric developments mandatory,” Mathias stressed. The important applications of biopharmaceuticals for children are detailed in the print version of “Medical Biotechnology 2010”, which will be released in June 2010.
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