US biotech revenues grew 4.9% last year to $53.8 billion, compared to 6.5% in 2010, according to Novel Health Strategies. By biologics class, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) remained the largest, with sales rising 10.1% to around $20.3 billion. Ten of the 36 FDA-approved mAbs accounted for 86% of sales. The fastest growing major class was hormones, for which sales increased 14.4% to $13.4 billion primarily due to sales of insulin analogs. Also growing in double digits were sales of recombinant vaccines and anti-coagulants, which rose 14.5% and 11.4%, to $0.9 billion and $0.4 billion respectively. Sales of fusion proteins and cytokines grew 6.3% and 4.3% to $4.3 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively. Sales of growth factors, therapeutic enzymes and blood factors fell 10.3% 10.2% and 5.8%, respectively. Oncology continued to be the largest selling indication, with $13.2 billion in sales, followed by autoimmune diseases, with $11.2 billion in sales. Over a five-year period, biologics sales growth for Genentech, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi have outpaced competitors. Johnson & Johnson and Amgen have recorded lower sales.

Source: Nature Biotechnology