The global market for antibacterial pharmaceuticals, currently suffering from a major shift in sales from brand products to generics which has caused revenues to drop 1.8% from 2004 to 2006, is expected to experience steady growth to more than $25 billion by 2011, according to Anti-Infectives, a new report from Kalorama Information.

The cephalosporin antibiotic market in particular continues to fall victim to increased generic competition and declining sales due to patent expirations of top brand products. Rocephin is a prime example of increased generic pressure as the product was once the leading cephalosporin antibiotic product on the market with more than $1 billion in annual sales. Brand products accounted for approximately 68% of 2006 product sales, down from 77% in 2004.

According the report, overall revenues will continue to sag in 2007, but begin to recover in 2008 with highest growth peaking in 2010 as a result of new products generating significant sales. Yet numerous issues plague the market, not least of which is the escalating incidence of
bacteria resistance to current antibiotics.

"As an outcrop of the growing resistance, pharmaceutical companies are taking a second look at new antibacterial compounds after having been complacent for the last 20 years," notes Melissa Elder, the report's author. "There has been a call to increase the incentives that will
reinvigorate industry research and development of new antibiotics, in addition to investing in programs that help limit the impact of antibiotic resistance."