Pharma.be counters generic-only figures

The pharma.be (previously the AGIM), Belgium's innovative pharmaceutical industry association, has criticized local media reports which claim that low-cost drugs are losing ground in the medicines market. Unlike some other countries, the industry group argues, the market share of post-patent branded products is rising, which contributes to savings for health care payers.

The overall drug market share of generic products has been relatively stable in the first three quarters of 2007, following impressive gains in the previous year.

In out-patient prescribing volume the generic share is 19%-19.4%, compared with about 9.5% of overall value. The pharma.be notes, however, that this only accounts for about half of the low-cost sector of the market. Branded products that have lost patent protection retain 45% of the combined non-patent market, which, the group states: "contribute almost as much to the [government's] lower-cost drugs' policy [as generic medicines] and to balancing the budget." Belgium's drugs budget has remained in equilibrium for the past two year, the pharma.be adds.