EAST GERMAN FIRMS ASSERT THEMSELVES

The 30 member companies of the eastern German section of the German drug industry association, the BPI, increased their share of the eastern German drug market to about 50% in 1991, but a slight loss of market share is expected this year, according to the BPI.

Total sales of the eastern German drug industry last year reached 1.7 billion Deutschemarks ($1 billion), of which 75% came from sales of drugs in the five eastern German states. This result was affected by the discount regulation which has been in force since April 1991 and which cut income by some 240 million marks. Half of the 30 companies have now been privatized.