Report Forecasts Strong MRSA Therapeutics Market

Research and Markets announces the addition of GlobalData's new report "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Therapeutics - Pipeline Assessment and Market Forecasts to 2019" to their offering.

It is hoped that an increase in serious hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA will be combated by the new and improved drug treatment options in the pipeline due for launch in the near future, according to pharmaceutical experts at GlobalData.

The new report has found that cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been on the increase during the past decade, due to the steady growth of the elderly and immuno-compromised population, and the emergence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains.

MRSA is a common bacterial, hospital-acquired infection which occurs in patients with weakened immune systems, and is resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics such as methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin and oxacillin. MRSA can cause a broad variety of infections, ranging from superficial skin eruptions to life-threatening cellulitis, blood and surgical infections, pneumonia and urinary tract infections.

Stringent hygiene measures in hospitals have led to a decrease in MRSA cases among hospital in-patients, but overall disease prevalence has seen an escalation due to increase in the community-associated MRSA infections, and MRSA is expected to gain further momentum over the coming years.

According to GlobalData, pharmaceutical companies are attempting to combat this in coming years with a strong therapeutics pipeline, which currently boasts a variety of 84 molecules, including both antibiotics and vaccines, in various phases of development. Research and development (R&D) activity is more prominent in the early stages of pipeline. However, six molecules are in Phase III that would enter in the therapeutics market within the next few years.

First-in-class (FIC) molecules account for 40 percent of the pipeline, while best-in-class (BIC) molecules contribute a 31 percent share, showing that a new generation of medicines is fast emerging. Phase III BIC molecule Tedizolid Phosphate could be the most promising drugs in development at present, as this second-generation oxazolidinone has shown superior results over current market favorite linezolid.

These drugs would capture the gap in the market caused by the patent expiries of Zyvox (linezolid) in 2015, Cubicin (daptomycin) in 2017 and Tygacil (tigecycline) in 2016. The developments will also help to strengthen the current treatment spectrum in light of public controversies surrounding the serious adverse effects of some treatment offerings. For example, Vibativ (telavancin) has been known to cause damage to the kidneys, while Tygacil increases the mortality risk, which led the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to recommend a restriction in the drug's use. The MRSA therapeutics market therefore offers significant opportunities for stronger upcoming products.

GlobalData analysis shows that the global MRSA therapeutics market stood at $1,448.2m in 2006, which then grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% to reach $2,659.7m in 2011. GlobalData forecasts that the market will grow at a CAGR of 3.4% over the next eight years to reach $3,468m by 2019.