Global Market of Recombinant Coagulation Factors

By HospiMedica staff writers
Posted on 07 Mar 2007

The global market of human plasma-derived recombinant coagulation factors VIIa, VIII, and IX is expanding with next-generation products.

These are the findings of a report by La Merie (Barcelona, Spain), a business intelligence firm that provides research and development (R&D) information to the biopharmaceutical industry. La Merie examined the global market of recombinant coagulation factors, which posted strong 2006 sales of more than US$ 4.6 billion.

This competitive field is pioneered by Bayer Schering Pharma (Leverkusen, Germany), ahead of Baxter and Wyeth (Deerfield, Il, USA) (with a clinical phase I project), and joined by Novo Nordisk (Bagsværd, Denmark) as a new entrant into the factor VIII segment. The fierce competition has spurred the launch of safer, animal, and human protein-free products formulated with sucrose or trehalose. Other research stage projects are based on protein engineering and peptide technologies, aimed at prolonging the half-life of the existing proteins and creating and more potent molecules with factor VIII activity by drug delivery technologies. These technologies would allow less frequent intravenous (IV), non-IV, or even oral administration. More convenient presentation formats of existing products are another current differentiation strategy

Another company, Novo Nordisk, occupies the recombinant factor VIIa market and has advanced activities in extending the label by new indications, such as bleeding, surgery, and brain injury. Novo Nordisk's recent decision to focus on protein therapeutics also finds its materialization in R&D projects with factor VIII, factor IX, and factor XIII. At the same time, market leader Baxter is opening a new market with its R&D activities of recombinant von Willebrand factor. Another developing market is purified human and recombinant human versions of thrombin, which are in the registration process and are expected to squeeze out bovine thrombin products.

Related Links:
La Merie
Bayer Schering Pharma
Novo Nordisk