Cheaper prices slow down pharma market growth
The Swiss pharmaceutical market increased in value by 3.4 per cent last year, reaching almost SFr4.9 billion ($4.71 billion), but growth is slowing down.
Cheaper prices, both for patented medicines and generics, were cited as the reason for the slowdown from the 5.5 per cent increase recorded in 2008.
The savings totalled more than SFr400 million, according to an analysis by IMS Health.
It said that the use of generics in hospitals had increased significantly, up 3.9 per cent to SFr449 million compared with the previous year.
IMS Health added that the pharmaceutical market could contract by between one and three per cent this year.
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