German Pharmacy Market Had 6.5% First-Half Growth

Sales of pharmaceuticals in German pharmacies (which comprise all drugs dispensed in pharmacies) rose by 6.5% to 12.6 billion Deutschemarks ($8.07 billion) at manufacturers' selling prices for the first six months of 1996. This is equal to the trend of the past two years, according to the national research-based drugmakers' association, the VFA.

A random analysis of important groups of drugs shows that doctors adhere to a "reserved prescription" of drugs to cure minor diseases, the VFA comments. And according to figures at hand to the association, doctors' prescription behavior is medically as well as economically responsible and rational, says VFA managing director Frank Munnich.

For example, says the VFA, like H2 receptor antagonist ulcer therapies, sales of proton pump inhibitors rose 31.8% in the first-half year. Recently, it adds, ulcer eradication therapy, in which proton pump inhibitors are mainly being used, has become a popular treatment. This means that in most cases, relapses can be permanently prevented and costs for further treatment of ulcers can be avoided.