SINGAPORE, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The pharmaceuticals industry in the Asia Pacific is thriving on the back of escalating population and increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases.. Its success has a direct bearing on the region's active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) market, which is drawing considerable attention from foreign investors.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.chemicals.frost.com), Analysis of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market, finds that the market earned revenues of $1.12 billion in 2011 and estimates this to reach $1.79 billion in 2018.

"The focus on healthcare has enabled Australasia to corner a large share of the global pharmaceuticals market, compelling market majors to train their spotlight on emerging countries," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Tridisha Goswami. "This bodes well for the regional API market, as pharmaceutical companies' checklist for contract manufacturing includes low cost of production, and favorable geographic locations."

Labor costs are low in countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, making API contract manufacturing feasible in these countries. However, the limited resources and lack of technologies tarnish their attractiveness. Further, China and India, with their better developed contract manufacturing market, pose stiff competition to these countries; the higher influx of generic drugs drives volume demand but curbs revenue growth. This is majorly due to the high prices of innovative drugs, which gives a major boosts to API revenues.

Market participants can gain investors' confidence by focusing on quality and therapeutic applications in cancer and lifestyle-mediated diseases. The increasing focus on biological API in treating cancer and immune-mediated diseases will also bolster the market and cause a shift in pharmaceutical companies' preference from synthetic to biological API.

"Innovation, quality assurance, and investments in improving technologies will benefit participants in this emerging market and help them enlarge their footprint in the global API contract manufacturing market," noted Goswami.

If you are interested in more information on this research, please send an email to Jessie Loh, Corporate Communications, at jessie.loh@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company email address, company Web site, city, state and country.

Analysis of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market is part of the Chemicals & Materials Growth Partnership Services program, which also includes research on other related markets. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

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Contact:
Donna Jeremiah
Corporate Communications – Asia Pacific
P: +61 (02) 8247 8927
F: +61 (02) 9252 8066
E: djeremiah@frost.com

Jessie Loh
Corporate Communications – Asia Pacific
P: +65 6890 0942
F: +65 6890 0988
E: jessie.loh@frost.com

http://www.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan