Release issued 8th September 2008

Increasing diagnosis rates present opportunities for western drug companies seeking to penetrate market, according to a new report from Decision Resources

September 8, 2008–Waltham, Mass.–Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the Chinese hepatitis C virus drug market, dominated by conventional and pegylated interferons, will more than double by 2012 from $64 million in 2007 to $150 million in 2012. Sales of interferons will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21 percent, led by a 30 percent CAGR of pegylated interferons such as Roche’s Pegasys/Schering-Plough’s Peg-Intron. The robust growth of Pegasys/Peg-Intron sales will result from the high cost of therapy and the expansion of patient share in China.

According to the new Emerging Markets report entitled Hepatitis C Virus in China, the most important factors driving the growth of the Chinese hepatitis C drug market are the high number of prevalent cases, the expanding diagnosed and drug-treated populations and changes in medical practice. The latter is expected to translate into greater drug use and expanded use of premium-priced products for a greater proportion of the patient population. Nearly 46 million people in China have chronic hepatitis C, more than four times the sum of hepatitis C infections in all seven major pharmaceutical markets— United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

“Changes in medical practice, influenced by Western practices and by increased physician knowledge of hepatitis C infection and treatment, will promote greater use of more effective therapies, such as Pegasys/Peg-Intron based regimens, although they are expensive in China,” says Jing Wu, analyst at Decision Resources. “We expect most changes in medical practice to occur in urban China, in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to name a few, during our forecast period.”

The report also finds that the most significant challenge in treating the disease is to increase diagnosis rates so that patients can be managed before late-stage liver disease occurs.

“Because of this challenge in treating the disease, hepatitis C drug makers can exploit opportunities to focus disease awareness campaigns on specific geographic regions of China or to target specific high-risk patient populations. In particular, initiatives that target injection drug users in several southern provinces for improved screening could increase the hepatitis C diagnosis rate,” Ms. Wu adds.

Emerging Markets reports

The Ultimate Analysis of Pharmaceutical Markets in China and India
Decision Resources is the FIRST and ONLY company to offer a syndicated report series for high-growth emerging markets with comprehensive disease-specific analysis. Each report assesses the commercial opportunity in the pharmaceutical market for a disease based on population demographics, economic development, disease epidemiology and changing physicians’ practices.

The reports can be purchased by contacting Decision Resources. Members of the media may request an interview with an analyst.

About Decision Resources
Decision Resources (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.

About Decision Resources, Inc.
Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at www.DecisionResourcesInc.com.

(4th November 2008) Activity against MRSA is the most important attribute influencing physicians’ antibiotic selection for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections

(3rd November 2008) The Medicare hospital-acquired conditions initiative will spur increased patient screening and potentially increased antibiotic use

(27th October 2008) Top 10 things pharma should know about India – free paper from Decision Resources

(27th October 2008) Humira to replace Remicade as first choice among biologics for the treatment of Crohn’s disease

(22nd October 2008) The pharmaceutical industry and the election – new report available FOR FREE from Decision Resources