Dominated by major companies inotably Roche and BASF, smaller niche players are beginning to enter the area with one or two vitamins. Biotin in particular is causing a stir because of the shortage of supply resulting in higher prices. When will a commercially-feasible fermentation process to biotin become established?

See our latest survey: Vitamins - Production, Producers, Processes, Markets and Outlook by 2005.

In the late 1990s Antibiotics was considered a stepchild of the pharmaceutical industry, considered mature and 'old hat'. The last two years have seen a reversal of fortunes for the antibiotics business:

• prices of penicillins, semi-synthetics and macrolides have increased;
• novel antibiotics that can replace vancomycin in life-threatening diseases have appeared;
• increasing emphasis on cytostatic antibiotics [doxorubicin, epirubicin, daunorubicin]

Despite the massive output from Chinese players we are on the verge of a shortage of capacity for bulk antibiotics in Europe and U.S.

See our latest survey: The Antibiotics Industry - Current Status and Outlook by 2005

Between 2002 and 2007 the U.S. and EU patents for several major biotech products [including insulin, interferons, EPO] will lapse. Which of these products will appear as generics and who are the likely producers. Is there sufficient biotech capacity [bacterial or mammalian]?

See our survey: Established vs. Recombinant Fermentation Industry - Production Costs and Capacity Requirements by 2005

L. Hepner & Associates' list of nutraceutical reports continues to grow. The latest surveys: