UPDATE: GPhA sees US prospects in 2008, Rx share at 65%

Data released at the US Generic Pharmaceutical Association's (GPhA) annual meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, has revealed that nearly two-thirds (65%) of all drug prescriptions in the USA during 2007 were for non-branded products, a 2% rise compared with 2006. Despite the growth in volume, branded drugs represent nearly 80% of market value, according to the group which quoted figures supplied by IMS Health.

The GPhA's president, Kathleen Jaeger, told reporters that the prospects for the copy-cat sector are good for the coming year, with drugs worth an estimated $20.0 billion in annual sales losing patent protection, including US firms Merck & Co's Fosamax (alendronate sodium) and Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen's Risperdal (risperidone).

GPhA priorities for 2008