An array of new monoclonal antibody products will enter the market in coming years, driving growth in the global market for advanced drug delivery systems. These are the latest findings of Kalorama Information (New York, NY, USA), an independent market research firm.

Roche (Basel, Switzerland) is the clear leader in the market, and is involved in the marketing and distribution of five of the top monoclonal antibodies on the market - Avastin, Herceptin, Lucentis, Rituxan and Xolair, with at least four significant monoclonal products in development. Kalorama Information notes that competitors are actively trying to improve market share in the future and the market could look very different a few years from now. Abbott, Pfizer, and Novartis are all companies with monoclonal products in development. And although growth has slowed in recent years, these products are still leading expansion in biopharmaceuticals, representing a global market of US$60.6 billion.

"Monoclonal antibodies represent one of the largest classes of biotechnological drugs being developed. Several products are currently on the market and many more are expected within the next few years," 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 multibillion dollar market."

Monoclonals are antibodies designed to bind to a particular substance, such as a cancerous cell, which they can then detect and even treat. The first monoclonal antibody, Rituxan, was developed by Biogen IDEC (Weston, MA, USA), and received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in November 1997. The product is indicated for the treatment of relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.
 

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