Portugal's Fast-Emerging OTC Market
Portugal's pharmaceutical market reached a value of 176 billion escudos ($1.1 billion) in 1993, up 12% on 1992, and the over-the-counter component of the market echoed this growth, with sales of 12 billion escudos or almost 7% of the total market, reports OTC news. If non-prescription sales of ethical products with an OTC positioning are included, OTC sales represent 17% of the total market.
OTC growth last year was driven by the large number of prescription to OTC switches, and the journal expects growth to continue, aided by moves to improve the registration procedure and the removal of more products from reimbursement.
The leading OTC company in Portugal is Sterling Health, now owned by SmithKline Beecham, with 20% of total sales in the year to June 1994, followed by Roche with 8% and Bayer on 7%.
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
Free
7 day trial access
- All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
- Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
- Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.
Become a subscriber
£820
Or £77 per month
- Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
- Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
- Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
- Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
- Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
Today's issue
Company Spotlight
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2025 | Headless Content Management with Blaze