Good Growth For Eastern European OTC Markets

Although eastern European sales of over-the-counter drugs fell 27.6% in terms of value during 1991-95, this was due to the influence of subsidized currencies, which distort the true picture, says a new report from Euromonitor.

The region's OTC markets are currently underdeveloped by western standards, according to the report, which forecasts that over the rest of the decade and beyond they will grow faster than the pharmaceutical market as a whole.

Poland is now the largest OTC market in the region, but the Slovak Republic has the highest per capita expenditure at just over $12.1 a year, followed by Hungary with $11.4 and Poland on $9.2. Spending on OTCs grew during the period in all markets apart from Russia and Ukraine, with the fastest growth reported for Bulgaria, at 205.7%, Poland with 162.5% and the Czech Republic on 107.5%.