US sales of biologics increased 4.5% last year to about $46.5 billion, down from historical double-digit growth due to safety concerns and market saturation. Among the nine classes of biologics, the largest therapeutic class, with 35% of the market, remains monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). US sales of mAbs increased an estimated 13% in 2008, down from 22% growth the year before, to about $15.6 billion. Driving the growth are sales of the blockbusters Avastin and Humira. The fastest growing class of biologics in 2008 was hormones. US sales of hormones increased 20% to $8.5 billion due to sales of insulin analogs, which grew 25%. Also increasing 20% last year were US sales of therapeutic enzymes, which totaled $1.2 billion, as several new products hit the market. Sales of recombinant vaccines, growth factors and anticoagulates each fell last year, declining 26%, 11% and 1%, respectively. Growth factors are the second largest selling biologics class in the US with sales of $11.4 billion. The five largest providers of biologics in the US in 2008 were Amgen, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk and Biogen Idec. Total US pharmaceutical sales grew the fastest for Abbott (34.8%), Sanofi (30.0%) and Novo Nordisk (21.9%).

Source: Nature Biotechnology