Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a0bf89/the_outlook_for_ph) has announced the addition of the "The Outlook for Pharmaceuticals in Central & Eastern Europe to 2013" report to their offering.
The countries of Central and Eastern Europe represent a total market of 285 million people and a combined GDP of US$3.0 trillion in 2008
The impact of EU accession on the pharmaceutical market In May 2004, five of the CEE markets in question joined the European Union. Much of the pharmaceutical legislation within the region has therefore been harmonised with that of the EU, although countries such as Poland are still in the process of transposing EU directives into national law.
Romania and Bulgaria have also amended the relevant legislation and became full EU members in January 2007. The implementation of GMP is also taking place across most of the region and this will inevitably improve the quality of overall production and lead to a rise in market values.
Variations in the quality of IP protection
The level of IP protection offered by the CEE nations varies across the region, but the issue generally remains an international concern. Problems that are commonly raised include a lack of transparency in IP procedures and the lack of effective enforcement. Some countries, such as Bulgaria, have made a lot of progress in improving the legal climate by strengthening patent laws and extending the standard patent term to 20 years.
The dominance of the generics market
The demand for affordable drugs is the principal factor in the dominance of the generics in the region. Despite recent improvements in patent protection, legislation and effective enforcement are still needed in many countries where counterfeiting of Western drugs continues. Generics production has managed to remain strong in countries that are also home to the producers of branded drugs. In the former Czechoslovakia for example, the merger of Leciva with Slovakofarma enhanced generics production in 2003. However, as economies develop the trend to importing higher value branded products can be seen.
These reports analyse the issues which matter
That is why Espicom Business Intelligence has published these new management reports The Outlook for Pharmaceuticals in Central & Eastern Europe to 2013. Each report provides individual and highly-detailed analysis of each market, looking at the key regulatory, political, economic and corporate developments in the wider context of market structure, service and access. The reports are available individually, or as a discounted collection, and prices include 4 completely updated reports sent quarterly, plus a comprehensive report sent annually. There are over 60 markets covered in the worldwide series.
Executive Summary
11 Major Markets Covered! Bulgaria Hungary Russia Slovenia Croatia Poland Serbia Ukraine Czech Republic Romania Slovakia
Highlights from the report:
THE REGION Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Ukraine represent the five largest markets in the CEE region. Russia has the potential to become one of the worlds largest pharmaceutical markets, due to its population of around 142 million people, but demand remains very low, due to insufficient public healthcare funding. The dominance of generics is a reflection of the poor economic situation; generic drugs account for 90% of the market by volume. The largest markets are also among the fastest-growing in the region, although Romania and Serbia are also performing well. Other markets of the former Yugoslavia are exhibiting slower, yet respectable growth rates.
POLAND Poland has one of the largest populations in Europe and therefore boasts a significant market of US$6.4 billion in 2008. Poland has a well established pharmaceutical industry and manufacturers tend to specialise in the production of generic drugs. Generics have a higher chance of entering the market as they are given priority over patented drugs in bioequivalence tests and are usually placed on the reimbursement list, making them a popular prescription choice. Much of the Polish pharmaceutical industry has now been privatised; many companies have been taken over by foreign investors such as GlaxoSmithKline and IVAX (now Teva).