French Generic Market "Still Weak And Patchy"

The French generic market remains weak and patchy, says a study by Droit et Pharmacie and TEV Consultants. At end-1995, 55% of the leading 850 branded drugs were found to be "genericable," but generics accounted for only 6% of products and 4% of drug sales, only just above 1993 levels. The study refined these results with reference to 20 therapeutic subclasses, and found that while in several cases generics' share had grown, mostly it had barely advanced.

An analysis of marketing approvals by the regulatory body, the AMM, in 1995-96 found a concentration of generics related to certain leading branded products which were thus under attack, although not all drugmakers faced the "threat" of generics to the same extent.

The study says the market is only slightly more developed now than in 1993, and its future depends on doctors' and patients' perception of generics. Doctors often regard the drug industry as responsible for the rise in health care spending, which means they see generics negatively and not as a means of reducing the health budget deficit. The report suggests that drug firms need to adapt their selling and communication policies in relation to the medical profession if they want to develop the generics sector. Patients remain relatively badly informed about generics, and here also, the drugmakers have "an important job of communication," it says.