title: Follow-on biologics: a new play for big pharma: Healthcare 2010.
abstract: The U.S. pharmaceutical industry plays a vital role in shaping the face of American healthcare. As an industry rooted in innovation, its continued evolution is inherent. With major patent expirations looming and thin product pipelines, the industry now must consider new directions to maintain growth and stability. Follow-on biologics, derived from living organisms and marketed after the patent expiration of similar therapies, represent a growing opportunity for big pharmaceutical firms, as discussed during Yale's Healthcare 2010 conference in April. Key characteristics of follow-on biologics make them a worthwhile investment for big pharma companies: They command high prices, will likely have fewer entrants than generics due to high barriers to entry, and play to the existing strengths of big pharma firms. With the recent healthcare legislation providing the way for consistent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, the timing seems right to continue the push into this new and growing market.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. ian.evans@yale.edu
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D001688:Biological Products; D015195:Drug Design; D004345:Drug Industry; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products