Polish pharmaceutical market rises 3.6%

The total pharmaceutical market in Poland grew 3.6% year-on-year to 5.1 billion zlotys ($1.64 billion) in net producers prices between January and April this year, according to a market research company IMS Health.

The value of Poland's pharmacy market rose 3.4%, and the segment of prescribed drugs increased 5.7%. IMS Health's analysis indicates that the most popular among prescription drugs in that period were medicines used in the treatment of cardiology diseases, the sales of which grew 81.0 million zlotys compared to the corresponding period a year earlier, and those used in treatment of nervous system diseases, turnover of which rose 30.0 million zlotys. Revenues from drugs used in the treatment of alimentary and respiratory system diseases saw a decline in January-April 2006, falling 0.3% and 2.6% year-on-year, respectively.

Analysts from IMS stress that the situation for the Polish pharmaceutical market changes frequently, due to the emergence of new products and brands. Consumers tend to purchase the newest drugs available, which are usually slightly more expensive. This results in gradual market growth, explains IMS. In the 12 months ending March 2006, the market for pharmaceutical products in Poland at net manufacturers' prices reached a value of 14.4 billion zlotys.