DISCOVER

Environment & markets

Pharmaceutical biomolecules a dynamic sector with a future

World vaccine sales stood at € 15 billion in 2008 representing the production about 7.4 billion doses. This sector is expected to grow by around 10.5% per year between now and 2013 and reach € 23 billion.

The world vaccine market has become the leading market in terms of future growth for the pharmaceutical industry.
Europe remains the most dynamic continent for the vaccines market, employing around 2/3 of the personnel in this sector and producing 90% of the 4 billion doses of vaccine manufactured every year¹. The world vaccine market is highly concentrated, with over 80% of the world market shared by four leading firms: Sanofi Pasteur, GSK, Wyeth² and Merck. Another market that is playing an increasingly important role in pharmaceutical innovation is biomedicines (therapeutic proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and recombinant and therapeutic vaccines) designed and produced using living matter. In 2007, the world market for biomedicines was $ 71 billion, for a 10% penetration rate of the overall world pharmaceuticals market. The recombinant proteins market is expected to grow by around 15% in 2012, accounting for sales of nearly € 127 billion³.

¹ Source: strategic industry brochure, Avril 2007
² Wyeth was acquired by Pfizer, beginning in 2008
³ Source: Bioproduction study 2008, LEEM

Lyonbiopole in Rhône-Alpes, at the heart of an industrial region with strong potential for innovation

The Life Sciences field is one of the key sectors in which Rhône-Alpes is competitive, with a significant investment of € 600 million between 2004 and 2009 by Sanofi-Pasteur, Merial, bioMérieux, Genzyme Polyclonals, Merck Serono and Mylan (Merck Generics). The region is the second-largest employer in France with nearly 30,000 jobs and 600 companies (20% of the jobs in France and 5% of those in Europe). The Rhône-Alpes region features a rich, diversified industrial fabric that ranges from fundamental research to the marketing of healthcare products. Lyon is a world leader in the human and animal pharmaceutical industry, with Sanofi Pasteur in human vaccines, Merial in animal health, and bioMérieux in diagnostics and microbiology. These 3 companies, founding members of Lyonbiopole, were all started up in the Lyon metropolitan area. Subsidiaries of major healthcare companies such as BD (French headquarters and European R&D facility) and Genzyme (the world’s #4 biotech company) have chosen the Rhône-Alpes region. We also find other subsidiaries of major worldwide groups (BASF Beauty Care, Merck-Serono and others) as well as innovative SMBs (AAA , Adocia, Alizé Pharma, Biotem, Cytoo, Edelris, Erytech Pharma, Flamel Technologies, Fuoptics, genOway, iDD Tech, Imaxio, ImmunID Technologies, PX’Therapeutics, Transgene and more). Nearly nine new Life Sciences companies are founded every year in the region, between 2001 and 2007, 52 companies were set up, 90% of which are still in business today.

Contract with the French State and local authorities
A cluster contract was signed by Lyonbiopôle, the French State and local authorities. It was approved at a meeting of the Inter-ministry Committee on Regional Development and Competitiveness (CIACT), on October 14, 2006. More specifically, this contract focused on the cluster’s strategic orientations and its governance, as well as on the proposal for R&D zoning. This was notified by decree at a meeting of the French Council of State on August 25, 2006.

FRA | ENG