Latest News

The Global Pharma Picture: The Good and the Bad
Wentz/Miller & Associates Global CME Newsletter
08/01/2004

China is the drug market to watch, says IMS, the leading data company in the pharmaceutical field. China was #10 in the world in 2003, and will pass Mexico to the #9 position in 2004. Other positives in the IMS 2003 report:

• Biologics are growing at 25% a year, faster than any other category of medication.
• When Aventis and Sanofi merge this year, the combined company will rank #3 in the world, #5 in the U.S. Aventis is now #11, Sanofi #19.

Some important negatives were also reported:

• It is estimated that 25% of the drugs sold in Mexico are counterfeit.
• Growth has slowed greatly in the number of prescriptions filled.
• The use of Rxs by people with low incomes and poor health status in the U.S. has dropped substantially. Some 66% of these patients fail to fill or refill prescriptions, compared to 40% of those who have better health status and incomes (still not a good statistic!).
• Noncompliance may be the reason that use of drugs for asthma and diabetes is up sharply in hospital emergency rooms.

What do these data mean for those in CME? Major opportunities in China; major opportunities to develop combined physician-patient education programs in the U.S.

Back to Latest News page