WORLDWIDE PHARMACY SALES IN 1st-QUARTER 1994

World sales of medical products through retail pharmacy outlets (excluding hospitals) in the first three months of 1994 reached $28.46 billion, up 1% on the January-March period of 1993, according to IMS International (see Marketletter June 2 for Jan/Feb data).

The North American market rose 6% to $13 billion, with sales in the USA advancing 6% to $12.18 billion and those in Canada up 1% to $822 million. Retail pharmacy sales in Europe overall were flat at $10.85 billion, although the top seven European markets demonstrated widely differing sales patterns.

Germany was up 6% at $3.13 billion, but this was partly a reflection of first-quarter 1993's poor business, when government moves to curb overprescribing took effect, while sales in France fell 4% to $2.90 billion, as a result of controls on doctors' prescribing. Italy fell 11% to $1.61 billion, following tough new cost-containment measures, while in the UK retail sales rose 8% to $1.28 billion. Spain rose 2% to $940 milion, while the Netherlands was up 3% at $386 million, and Belgian sales were flat at $379 million.