Cegedim: Romania’s 1Q Pharmaceutical Market Up 2.8% To RON2.4B

05.11.2011 By Andrei Circhelan

The growth of Romania’s pharmaceutical market slowed in the first quarter to just 2.8%, from 4.4% in the final quarter of 2010, market research firm Cegedim said Wednesday.

Thus, pharmaceutical sales were of RON2.41 billion in January to March. Calculated in euro, the market stood at EUR570 million, up a mere 0.2%, compared to 3.8% in the final quarter of 2010, to .

In terms of volumes sold, the market decreased by 7.1%, while the number of days of treatment shrank by 7.9% in the first quarter.

"The market is still negatively affected by the reduced public support and extended payment deadlines," Cegedim said.

The market's increase in value, Cegedim notes, is mostly due to the prescription drugs segment.

The retail segment generated first quarter sales of RON2.16 billion (EUR512 million), up 3.7% compared with the same period of 2010. Sales in hospitals reached RON245 million (EUR58 million), down 3.9% on the year.

Prescription drug sales rose 4% to RON1.8 billion, while over-the-counter drug sales rose 2% to RON344.8 million, according to Cegedim data.

In the year concluded on March 31, 2011, medicine sales reached RON9.69 billion, up 14.6% on the previous year.

According to the Cegedim report, French group Sanofi-Aventis (including Zentiva) ranks first on the local market, with first-quarter sales of RON207.3 million and a market share of 8.9%.

Runner up is Swiss group Hoffmann la Roche, with sales of RON196.5 million, followed by Novartis (including Sandoz), with sales of RON169.4 million.

Cegedim Romania, the local branch of French group Cegedim, has 70 employees and it has posted a revenue of EUR5.7 million last year.

The Cegedim group is a worldwide supplier of marketing and sales data and services for the pharmaceutical industry. The group has over 8,600 employees in more than 80 countries, with overall revenue of EUR874 million in 2009. (EUR1=RON4.0842)