Cardiovascular Market And MNCs In Hungary

Multinational drug companies are struggling to increase theircardiovascular product sales in Hungary, according to a new study from Datamonitor which is available through the Marketletter's offices.

Increased demands from Hungarian citizens who are eligible for free treatment has put strong pressure on the national health budget, leading to heavy price regulation of new drugs entering the market, it says. Lower wages in Hungary allow domestic firms to sell their products at a lower price point than imports, and as drug subsidies are cut, low-priced generics are becoming increasingly significant, particularly in the cardiovascular market.

For example, Egis' cardiovascular drugs represent over 50% of its total sales. These are mainly based on Tensiomin (captopril), which accounted for 47% of Hungary's ACE inhibitor market last year.