Bright Prospect of Aminoglucoside Antibiotics    

By China Chamber of Commerce of Medicines & Health Products Importers & Exporters
As is known to all, aminoglucoside antibiotics have side effects of kidney poisoning and ear poisoning. New-generation cephalosporin and quinolone varieties have also gained extensive applications in clinical medicines. The consumption and sales volume of aminoglucoside antibiotics are therefore affected. Nevertheless, compared with other antibiotics aminoglucoside antibiotics have excellent antibiotic effect on common gram-negative bacilli and are therefore still being used to cure serious infections caused by aerobic gram-negative bacilli in clinical medical practice. Antibiotics sales data for major cities of China show that aminoglucoside antibiotics hold the fifth place and remain one of the five major antibiotics with the greatest consumption in clinical medicines.
   Traditional varieties of aminoglucoside antibiotics are irreplaceable in clinical medicines. Etimicin, which was recently put on the market, has extremely low ear poisoning. It has already become a member of the aminoglucoside antibiotic family with the brightest prospect and also promoted the growth of the entire aminoglucoside antibiotic market.
   Market shares of various major aminoglucoside antibiotics have had both ups and downs in recent years. Owing to its good curative effect and extremely low poisoning side effect, etimicin has grown rapidly. Its market share made a sharp increase from 61.34% in 2004 to 77.55% in 2008. It has become the biggest winner among aminoglucoside antibiotics. Netilmicin has made a downturn under pressure. It has lost its original position and the market share made a constant reduction. Market shares of kanamycin and spectinomycin have also gradually declined.
   The excellent curative effect of etimicin has promoted the sales revenues of four Chinese major producers (Hangzhou Aida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Changzhou Fang Yuan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Jiangxi Jimin Kexin Group Co., Ltd. and Hainan Aike Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.). The product will have a sound development trend in the next few years.
   Judging from the sales growth of etimicin for these four major producers for five consecutive years, they have maintained a sound trend of growth in sales. Hangzhou Aida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has a great advantage and holds half of the market. The other three producers are more or less on equal footing.
   The most outstanding feature of isepamicin is its stability to most aminoglucoside inactivation enzymes generated by bacteria. Many gentamycin-resistant strains and partial amikacin-resistant strains are still sensitive to the product. That is the major factor for the rising trend of its market share.
   The market demand for netilmicin injection started a drastic downturn in 2005. Due to the extensive and lasting use of netilmicin in clinical medicines, serious resistance has appeared. The application value of netilmicin in clinical medicines is going down today and the market prospect has no room for optimism.
   Gentamycin as the first choice of aminoglucoside antibiotics is a major medicine for curative various G-bacilli infections and especially has a strong effect on serratia bacilli. As a result, it has a special competitive advantage in aminoglucoside antibiotics. It has made stable market growth with the fastest growth being from 2007 to 2008. The product is already included in the state directory of the basic medicines in China. The demand for this traditional variety has therefore been promoted.