Generics Market Growth Twice That Of Retail Sales

Growth in the generics market is currently running at nearly double theretail pharmaceutical market, driven by a mixture of government cost containment and the patent expiry of major molecules in most countries, according to IMS Pharma Strategy Group's Generic Insight 1996-2000, and this trend looks likely to continue.

The study, which covers 10 countries (the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan), puts the value of generics sales in these markets at some $13.6 billion.

Analysis of the past five years (1992/96) shows a compound annual growth rate of 11% across these major markets. Of the more developed generics countries in this group, IMS says, the USA saw growth of 16% over the period; others are: Germany, with a CAGR of 6%, the UK 9% and the Netherlands 10%. The CAGR in France was 10% and in Belgium 7%.