Small dip, 0.2%, in generic drugs' share of Japan's Rx market but value up

The market share of generic drugs in Japan's prescription pharmaceuticals sector for the fiscal year 2006 ended March 2007 declined 0.2% to 16.9% on a volume basis but it increased 0.6% to 5.7% on an National Health Insurance price (sales value) level, the Japan Generic Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association has said.

Although the share of generic drugs has risen consecutively until FY2005, this trend stopped in FY2006. New launches of copy medicines whose original compounds lost patent protection in FY2006 contributed to the sales increase of generics as a whole.

However, it seems to be evident that the government's policy which changed the prescription format to make it easier for physicians to prescribe generic drugs, starting in April 2006, did not work well that year.