Emerging markets drive global growth

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Without emerging healthcare markets like China and India, global pharma would be in a world of hurt. The global market for meds reached $712 billion last year, according to a new report from IMS Health, up $178 billion over five years before. But the rate of growth is slowing--6.4 percent compared with 11.8 percent in 2001. And without the big engines in Asia, that figure would be lower still. China, South Korea, and India grew by 25.7 percent, 10.7 percent, and 13 percent respectively. Russia and Turkey, 20.2 percent and 17.2 percent. The U.S.? Just 3.8 percent.

The IMS report also included the top 10 sellers worldwide (drum roll, please):

Lipitor, $13.5 billion, Pfizer
Plavix, $7.3 billion, Sanofi-Aventis
Nexium, $7.2 billion, AstraZeneca
Seretide/Advair, $7.1 billion, GlaxoSmithKline
Enbrel, $5.3 billion, Amgen and Wyeth
Zyprexa, $5 billion, Eli Lilly
Risperdal, $4.9 billion, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen)
Seroquel, $4.6 billion, AstraZeneca
Singulair, $4.5 billion, Merck
Aranesp, $4.4 billion, Amgen

Note that Aranesp made the top 10 despite a 12.9 percent drop in sales on safety worries. And the biggest gainer of the year was Plavix, the anti-clotting med; it racked up a 20.5 percent increase in sales.

- see the item at Pharmalot

ALSO: In response to the growing overseas market, DIA is opening an office in India. Release

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Pharma growth drops to 1961 levels

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

IMS Health is out with its new annual pharma sales report, and it ain't pretty. Revenue grew by only 3.8 percent to $286.5 billion, the slowest pace of expansion since 1961. By contrast, sales expanded by 6 percent in 2006. Total prescription volume rose only by 2.8 percent, compares with 4.6 percent the previous year.

A few bright spots buried within those overall numbers, though. Cancer meds grew by 14 percent. Biotech product sales expanded by 9 percent, and specialist-driven therapies by 10 percent. The offsetting dark spots? Try a 15.4 percent drop in year-over-year cholesterol-med sales.

IMS cited a few reasons for the slowing growth, including--of course--increasing competition from generics; $17 billion worth of branded drugs lost exclusivity in 2007. Plus, new meds only represented $441 million worth of sales last year because of fewer product launches and slower adoption of the new products. And then there were the safety issues: Black Box warnings, withdrawals, and the like. IMS estimates that safety concerns cut into sales of products that account for 10 percent of the market.

- check out the press release from IMS
- read the CNN Money story
- check out the analysis and charts at Pharmalot

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