European psychotropics market forecasts

European sales of psychotropic drugs will total $4.95 billion in 2007,up from $3.49 billion in 2000, driven by the strength of demand for antidepressants, says a new study from Frost & Sullivan. Antidepressants, sales of which are forecast to rise from $2 billion in 2000 to $3.27 billion in 2007, are the largest group in the sector, followed by anxiolytics, then hypnotics and sedatives.

However, F&S notes, factors restraining fast growth in the psychotropics market include the many cheaper generics available and the imminent debut of generic equivalents of products such as Eli Lilly's Prozac (fluoxetine), GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil (paroxetine) and Pfizer's Zoloft (sertraline). Also, a high percentage of patients will probably remain untreated, it says.