Pharmacists in Smoking Cessation

BUSINESS Filipe Infante, Country Manager, hmR Ireland
Irish
Prescription
Market Trends
In this article, Filipe Infante, Country Manager, hmR Ireland,
gives an overview of the total prescription market in Ireland
for 2016 and identifies some key market trends.
The Irish
prescription
market
experienced
modest growth
in 2016, with increases across
the different market segments.
The analysis, conducted
by research consultancy
specialists Health Market
Research Ireland (hmR), found
that the total market grew
in value by 2.3% nationally,
with the pharmaceutical
market enjoying 2.6% growth,
the branded market growing
by 3.1% and the generic
drugs market increasing by
0.8%, when compared to the
previous year.
The analysis is derived from
information received from
more than 1,000 of the 1,800
pharmacies across the State.
Commenting on the findings,
Filipe Infante, said, “The total
trade value of the market at
the end of 2016 was €1,840
million from over 118 million
units that went through the
dispensary of the State’s
pharmacies. Both metrics
have increased since the
previous year by 2.3% and 0.2%
respectively.”
The research also reveals the
top five prescription market
drugs ranked by their trade
value: in first place comes
Humira, the drug mainly
used in dermatology and
rheumatology applications,
with sales in 2016 of just under
€114 million. In second place
was also another biological
drug, Enbrel, with sales of just
over €63 million. These were
followed by Versatis, Gilenya
and Kalydeco, making up the
top five that represent 14% of
the market and which all had
growth rates of between 5%
and 25%.
Mr Infante said, “When
looking at markets by
Anatomical Therapeutic
Class (ATC), we could see
that the Biological, Mental
Health and Respiratory areas
were clear leaders. Anti-TNF
market (L04B) was the leader
with a share of 11% of the
Pharmaceutical Market. This
market is then followed by
the Anti-Epileptics (N03A),
B2 Agonist and corticoid
Combinations (R03F) and
Anti-Depressants and Mood
Stabilisers (N06A).”
The companies with
the highest sales of drugs
dispensed in retail pharmacies
in 2016 were Pfizer with a trade
value of over €141 million;
Abbvie with sales of €118.5
million; Novartis with almost
€94 million; GSK with close to
€90 million; Teva with almost
€89 million and MSD with €69
million.
Currently, the top performing
generic medications in retail
pharmacy are Rosuvastatin,
Atorvastatin, Esomeprazole
and Sertraline, which together
represent 20% of the generics
market sales. In the generics
market, the top performing
generic companies in terms
of value were Teva (26%) and
Rowa (18%).
Although the market
experienced value growth at
a national level during 2016,
the same cannot be said for all
county regions. Co. Sligo had
the greatest decrease with a
fall of 4.5%, while Co. Laois had
the largest growth with 5.5%.
“ The total trade value of the market at the
end of 2016 was €1,840 million from over
118 million units that went through the
dispensary of the State’s pharmacies.”
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IPUREVIEW FEBRUARY 2017