Biogen's Big Picture

Today, Biogen's billion-dollar flagship multiple sclerosis product Avonex (interferon beta-1a) faces stiff competition from Serono's Rebif (interferon beta-1a), launched in the United States in March 2002. Although the two were already competing in Europe, financial analysts and media following the MS market predicted massive market share erosion for Avonex, especially after the announcement that Pfizer had agreed to co-promote Rebif in the United States. Some contend that Biogen is too dependent o­n the sales of o­ne product and isn't strong enough in the short term to withstand Avonex losses. But as Biogen celebrates its 25th anniversary, Avonex's market share is holding steady at a healthy 50 percent; the company's new complex in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, puts it o­n the map as a major manufacturer; and its leaders are confident that the big picture remians regardless of observers' gloom and doom about its product line.

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