Economic issues with follow-on protein products

The economic effects of the possible introduction of 'follow-on' protein products have been the subject of recent debate. Here, we aim to explore the economic issues surrounding this debate using three measures: total sales, product complexity and patent expiry. Our analysis shows that the sales of therapeutic protein products are concentrated in a relatively small number of branded products, which may be the most attractive targets for follow- on development. For the years 2013-2015, we estimate that products representing US$ 20 billion in annual sales-approximately half of all sales in 2006-can be expected to lose patent protection.