The Antibiotics Industry - Current Status & Outlook by 2015

Antibiotics represent a major category of human and animal health products produced by fermentation and biotechnology. Principal antibiotic categories include: penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides, aminoglycosides, and teracyclines. Many antibiotics are available as therapeutics 'as-is' [e.g. penicillin V] and can be transformed to semi-synthetic derivatives [e.g. amoxycillin via 6-APA]. Within the past five years considerable research efforts have been devoted to developing novel antibiotics that can combat life-threatening infections such as MRSA [methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus] and several novel antibiotics have appeared in the market.

This survey reviews the following aspects of the antibiotics business:

• output of all antibiotics and semi-synthetic derivatives
• price levels of antibiotics and how these have altered over the past 5 years
• profiles of producers of antibiotics producers
• current manufacturing costs of various antibiotics and semi-synthetic derivatives and how they compare with sales prices
• projected market for antibiotics and outlook by 2015