Sales of reimported medicines soar in Germany
The German market for reimported medicines soared 37% to Euro 1.5bn (price before tax) over the first eleven months of 2006, according to the German pharmaceutical statistics body, Insight Health. However, the German pharmaceutical market as a whole practically stagnated over this period, growing by just 0.3%.
The German market for reimported medicines soared 37% to Euro 1.5bn (price before tax) over the first eleven months of 2006, according to the German pharmaceutical statistics body, Insight Health. However, the German pharmaceutical market as a whole practically stagnated over this period, growing by just 0.3%.
The stagnation of the German pharmaceutical market is the consequence of health reforms introduced in April 2006 that affected generic manufacturers in particular.
The success of the reimporters is linked in part to the efforts on the part of prescribing doctors and pharmacists to cut down, explained Joerg Geller, vice-chairman for the German association of reimporters (VAD). Pharmacists in particular are bound since 2003 by the German legislation to sell a reimported medicine with a price difference of at least 15% or €15 from the corresponding product marketed in Germany.
Another growth factor for reimporters is the 10 percentage point reduction to 6% for the price reduction granted by prescription drug manufacturers to the health insurance offices, added Joerg Geller.
In addition, reimporters, whose activities are focused on branded drugs protected by a patent, benefit from the arrival on the market of increasingly expensive new medicines. In November 2006, the average price of a reimported medicine was €53.30, compared with €43.23 one year previously and €36.31 in November 2003.
A fourth factor is the rapidity with which products newly launched in Germany are available as reimports. Currently, the length of time between the launch of a new medicine in Germany and the appearance of the first reimported versions is less than three years, compared with about four years between 1995 and 1999 and more than seven years at the beginning of the 1990s.
The main indications for reimported medicines are neurology, oncology and hematology, concerning transfusion and antiplatelet products. These three therapeutic categories represented sales figures of €850m, i.e. 55% of total sales for reimports.
Cardiovascular treatments amounted to 4.5% of the activity of reimporters, i.e. half that for 2003 (9%), emphasised Insight Health.