Pharmaceuticals: Companies are accelerating innovation in the vaccine technology sector, an estimated $35 billion market that is growing by about 8% annually. Four companies dominate the vaccine market: GSK, Merck, Pfizer and Sanofi, which collectively comprise approximately 80% of global vaccine revenues. According to the “Access to Vaccines Index,” the previously mentioned four companies, along with Johnson & Johnson, Daiichi Sankyo, Takeda and India’s Serum Institute, are conducting R&D for 89 vaccines pertaining to 35 diseases. About 50% of R&D in the field is for optimizing existing vaccines, while the remainder is dedicated to innovating new vaccine technologies and products. Diseases that are key drivers of vaccine R&D include meningococcal and pneumococcal disease, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and human papillomavirus. Currently, vaccines are commercially available for an estimated 30 diseases. Companies are working to develop vaccines for diseases such as HIV and AIDS, and elder people whose immune systems may be weaker than those of children and teenagers, as well as RNA- and DNA-based vaccines.
Source: Financial Times