May 21, 2008, Waltham, Mass.  - Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that novel glycopeptides such as Pfizer's dalbavancin, Theravance/Astellas's telavancin and Targanta's oritavancin and cephalosporins such as Johnson & Johnson/Basilea's ceftobiprole and Forest Laboratories' ceftaroline will drive the hospital-acquired infections drug market through 2017. Over the next decade, sales of these agents will take share from the generically-available and less expensive vancomycin, the current patient-share leader for complicated skin and skin structure infections/surgical site infections.

The new Pharmacor report entitled Hospital-Acquired Infections  finds that generic erosion of leading brands will be offset by the launch of the new parenteral glycopeptides and novel anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cephalosporins. Sales of antibiotics to treat complicated skin and skin structure infections/surgical site infections, the largest segment of the hospital-acquired infections market, will drive growth owing to the high incidence of these infections and the near-term launch of drugs targeting these infections.

According to the report, antibacterial drug development is facing a challenging period as many major pharmaceutical companies have divested from antibacterial R&D, and the development of innovative therapies is becoming more difficult. Additionally, drug approval delays, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and increasingly stringent reimbursement policies are creating a more risky environment for antibacterial drug development. As a result, the report forecasts modest 2.3 percent annual growth of the hospital-acquired infections drug market through 2017 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

"The late-stage antibacterial pipeline for hospital-acquired infections is focused on novel anti-MRSA therapies for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections and hospital-acquired pneumonia," said Danielle Drayton, Ph.D. director at Decision Resources. "Agents to treat these indications, especially complicated skin and soft tissue infections, will face stiff competition from numerous effective and well-established antibiotics."

About Decision Resources
Decision Resources, Inc. (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in research publications, advisory services, and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources, and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

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