Overall pharmaceutical revenues gained in China will rise to $116.8bn in 2015 and are set to increase further by 2022, a new report predicts.

National healthcare reforms will stimulate sales of the drugs in the country, along with the country’s chronic disease burden increasing and its ageing population.

Dr James Evans, a pharmaceutical industry analyst, says that “China has been the best hope for the pharmaceutical industry” in recent years and its market is now “no longer a hope but a certainty for the medical industries”.

The report, Chinese Pharmaceutical Market 2012-2022, by visiongain, found that the overall market generated $53.3bn last year – nearly a quarter of which came from anti-infective drugs.

However, future revenue will increasingly come from treatments for cancer, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Sales of vaccines will also boost the overall growth, the report adds.

The Chinese Government’s Healthy China 2020 plan – on top of its 2008 public healthcare reforms – will see up to $1.4 trillion invested in the next nine years – a figure set to surpass even US spending on healthcare reforms.

“Every leading company is outsourcing operations to China, building contacts, partnerships and infrastructure, and adjusting its portfolio to that country,” said Dr Evans. “The main question is whose business activities will pay off best this decade.”

Global revenues from small-molecule targeted cancer therapies are expected to reach $27.3bn in 2015, a new report predicts.

visiongain’s Small-Molecule Targeted Cancer Therapies: World Market 2011-2021 found that the overall market generated $20.3bn last year but is set to grow as more patients are diagnosed with cancer.

Dr Syed Ahmed, a senior healthcare industry analyst, visiongain, says there is still “an under-met need for therapeutic agents” and the therapies “remain a crucial part of the pharmaceutical market from 2011 to 2021.”

The report found that there were more than 13 million patients worldwide diagnosed with cancer in 2009. But there may be as many as 20 million new cases by 2025, it says.

Targeted cancer therapies block the growth and spread of tumours by interfering with with molecules involved in tumour growth and progression. Most of these are either small-molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies.

The market is currently dominated by Novartis’ Glivec/Gleevec (pictured), the report says, but ‘blockbuster’ brands are set to lose their patent protection in the next ten years paving the way for generic competition.

“A strong R&D pipeline for small-molecule cancer therapies makes this industry segment dynamic and promising for pharmaceutical companies," said a report analyst.

Global pharmaceutical contract sales revenues will reach $5.24bn in 2015, a new report predicts.

The World Pharma Contract Sales Organisation (CSO) Market 2011-2021 found that revenues will continue to grow over the next decade as pharma companies look to cut costs.

Richard Lang, pharmaceutical industry analyst, says pharmaceutical companies are turning to CSOs for “new approaches to sales, targeting doctors and healthcare payers”.

The report by Visiongain found that supplying sales teams was currently the largest source of revenue for outsourcing companies in 2010, accounting for 80% of the market.

Pharma companies based in the US, UK and Japan will continue reduce sales forces, the report predicts, in coming years, providing an opportunity for contract sales companies and sales teams.

An increased emphasis on speciality drugs will also require new procedures and expertise for CSO sales teams, the report says, with e-detailing, tele-detailing and medical science liaison having a greater prominence over the next ten years.

“Face-to-face detailing of healthcare professionals is still the most common pharmaceutical sales technique in many markets,” said Mr Lang. “However, with increasingly busy schedules, more and more doctors are implementing 'no-see' policies for sales reps.

“The drive to cut rising healthcare costs will increase the influence of payers in future prescribing decisions.”

The demand for contract sales services is also expected to continue to grow in emerging markets such as China and India, according to the report’s predictions, with companies seeking to enter or expand their sales field-force presence in these regions and rely increasingly on the local knowledge and expertise CSOs offer.

Revenue generated from the outsourcing of contract manufacturing by the pharmaceutical industry will more than double between now and 2021, a new report forecasts.

Visiongain’s Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing: World Market Outlook 2011-2021 predicts the sector will reach $64.07 billion in 2016 after a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7%.

Richard Lang, pharmaceutical industry analyst at Visiongain, says the sector will benefit from “a continued move to strategic outsourcing” by pharma.

The industry will increase the amount of manufacturing it outsources in the next decade to cover the costs of R&D and marketing, the report predicts.

The US accounted for 42% of total demand for contract manufacturing services in 2010, the report found, with demand expected to grow from developed market-based pharmaceutical companies over the next ten years. Growth in the biotechnology sector also presents a “significant new opportunities” for contract research organisations, the report says.

Currently, the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) remained the biggest sector for the contract manufacturing industry with the report finding it accounted for almost three-quarters (71%) of the global market.

The report forecasts that API manufacturers in emerging markets will achieve increasing demand for their services, and that demand for generic and potent APIs will be one of the main drivers for growth during the next ten years.

“Industry will look more to long-term relationships with a few selected contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs) as the decade goes on,” Mr Lang said. “Becoming a full-service CMO or specialising in a niche area will best allow contract manufacturers to take advantage of these strategic partnerships.”

The report adds there are future opportunities for CMOs to expand through buying manufacturing facilities from pharma or acquiring smaller rival companies. Those which offer specialised manufacturing service will also benefit, it adds.