Generic drug sales in Brazil leapt 53% in 2010; double-digit growth forecast the next two years

In Brazil, sales last year of generic drugs - which are nearly identical reproductions of off-patent medications and are distributed without patent protection - increased 53% from the previous year, to around $3.5 billion, according to Pro Genericos, a domestic trade group representing 95 generic drugmakers.

Overall, Brazil sold more than 330 million units in 2010, up from roughly 233 million units of generic drugs in 2007, according to a recent report on www.knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu - the online research and business analysis journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania