The two largest sectors for drugs targeting infectious disease – antibiotics and antifungals – have seen significant decline over 2005-06. A glut of recent and imminent patent expiries of major products has upset the apparent market stability seen between 2002 and 2006 in this $38billion sector, leaving nearly all of the top players with some tough decisions about what sort of presence they should maintain in the market, or even if they should remain involved at all. According to a new Pharma report by independent market analyst Datamonitor, even growth sectors like small molecule antivirals have seen a slowdown and the HIV market is witnessing its first patent expiries. “At best, the pharmaceutical companies involved in the market will be seriously re-thinking their core-competencies to find means of re-invigorating sales”, says Datamonitor infectious disease senior analyst Jonathan Angell, “and we can expect to see a few decide that their resources are best spent elsewhere.”

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Faced with dwindling growth rates in the US and Europe, pharmaceutical companies are turning their attention towards emerging pharmaceutical markets whose double-digit growth is fuelled by their recent economic booms. However, although the patient potential of the emerging market countries is enormous, foreign pharma companies are currently tapping into only a fraction of the consumers, due to fairly poor access to drugs in countries like India and China, and to an extent in Russia, Brazil and Turkey. Nevertheless, many companies are keen to get a foothold as the purchasing power of the booming middle class and the countries’ as a whole is rising, and is driving the pharmaceutical market growth. According to a new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor, the new middle class wants better healthcare and is willing to pay for it. “The governments are improving public provision of healthcare, more individuals can pay for drugs out of pocket and Big Pharma are there ready to bank on it and compensate for lower growth of the mature markets of the West,” says Datamonitor senior pharmaceutical analyst Dr Tijana Ignjatovic.

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Datamonitor believes that Google’s entry into PHRs means that PHRs will become a success and result in consumers becoming more knowledgable about their own health. While other companies have developed PHRs, the significance of Google’s entry cannot be underestimated. Primarily this is because of the unparalleled reach that Google has into consumers – especially those under the age of 30 (Opportunities in the electronic health record market).
 

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Offers, business models, new professions

Faced with a slowing growth rate of ad revenue for the small screen and the rising popularity of off-the-grid viewing, TV channel operators are working to forge themselves a position on the web to take advantage of the huge increase in advertising investments in this medium. Capitalising on the strength of their media brands, broadcasters are offering new TV services online. This “new media” strategy, which is being deployed by TV channels across the board in North America and Europe, is forcing changes in media chronology, new business models and a change in the TV broadcaster and aggregator businesses – moving from the delivery of a push type TV service to the distribution of programmes in pull mode, while working to create a more personalised and interactive relationship with viewers (The TV channels’ strategies).

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