The Hospital Antibacterial Market Presents New Opportunities for Small Pharmaceutical Companies

Link: The Hospital

        -- In the highly mature and competitive antibacterial market, hospital-acquired drug-resistant infections represent the few remaining areas of high unmet medical need and expanding commercial opportunity. The significant morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with drug-resistant infections provide an important clinical incentive for development and allow companies to justify relatively premium pricing in this market. Furthermore, expected growth in the patient population, driven by demographic changes and an expanding population of critically ill patients, will fuel future growth. -- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter species represent several of the most important drug-resistant pathogens that have been the focus of antibacterial R&D activity in recent years. With the availability of several products active against MRSA and VRE (e.g., linezolid (Pfizer's Zyvox), daptomycin (Cubist's Cubicin)), the most significant emerging threat has shifted to the gram-negative pathogens (Enterobacteriaceae, P. aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter sp.), which in many cases are resistant to most first-line antibacterials.

More at the link above