Topic of the Week: What’s Happening in Biotech?

Quick, Easy Infectious Disease Diagnosis with INAAT

It was recently announced that a molecular test, which not only diagnoses but also differentiates between influenza A and B has been released commercially in Europe.

The test, which is the first and only of its kind, was developed by Alere Inc., a global provider of diagnostics and related services. The test relies on Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technologies (INAAT) which delivers much quicker results than more common diagnostic methods such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

Quick, efficient infectious disease testing is imperative in helping to stop the spread of disease. This segment makes up more than 40 percent of the Global INAAT Market, which is growing at a CAGR of 17.49 percent from 2014-2018.

Nucleic acid testing is one of the fastest growing segments in the field of molecular diagnostics. For over two decades, PCR has dominated as the standard tool for detection in blood transfusion, genetic testing, cancer research and other areas. However, the industry is demanding quicker, cheaper, and more reliable methods, which has led to growing popularity of INAAT among diagnostics manufacturers like Alere Inc.

In INAAT, nucleic acid is amplified under isothermal conditions, which doesn’t require temperature cycling the same way as PCR. This offers faster results and also holds promise for bringing nucleic acid testing to field settings because of INAAT’s easy and portable detection capabilities.

From Diagnosis to Treatment: Biosimilars

Molecular diagnostics isn’t the only field in biotech that’s seeing major advances. An aging global population, along with an increasing number of patent expirations and a need for cost effective treatments have created perfect conditions for the Global Biosimilars Market, which is posting a CAGR of 27.58 percent from now through 2018.

Biosimilars are follow-on versions of original biological medicines that are separately developed after the patent protecting the original product has expired. Biosimilar medicines are intended to have the same mechanism of action and are designed to treat the same diseases as the original medicine and can be used for a huge range of diseases and disorders.

But while they are similar they are not identical to the reference biopharmaceutical product, mainly because of the nature of the manufacturing process and the size and complexity of the active substances. Biopharmaceutical drugs are produced using a living system, or a genetically modified organism. Compared to traditional chemical drugs, even a minor change in the conditions, formulation, or processes can change the final product drastically, which can dramatically affect the safety and efficacy of the drugs.

Because of this, biosimilars have been a hotly contested topic and undergo a rather rigorous approval process before making it anywhere near the consumer market. And even then, many physicians are wary about prescribing them.

However, major cost savings for consumers will be the saviour of this market. Many biosimilar drugs are available on the market for 10-30 percent lower prices than their parent product. Additionally, governments worldwide are taking notice of biosimilars and easing their regulatory processes, making development of these drugs a bigger reality and speeding up product launches, which will go a long way to fuelling the market as it develops in the future.

For more insights into these exciting biotech markets, view our Global Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technologies Market 2014-2018 and our Global Biosimilars Market 2014-2018.

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