Industry revenue grew 17% last year

The Brazilian pharmaceutical market continued to grow in the double-digit level in 2013. According to data passed exclusively to Value at IMS Health, were sold 2.9 billion units of medicines last year, a growth of 11.6% in comparison with the results of 2012. In revenue, the advance was 17%, moving a total of $ 58 billion.
"This result was expected by market participants and the increase in sales is positive, given the tough year, when many products had retraction and businesses suffered cost pressures," says Henry Tada, President of the National Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (Alanac).
IMS Health, however, discloses only the gross sales, which does not reflect what happened on the line in the costs of the companies ' balance sheets in the industry. With almost 80% of its imported raw materials, the industry had to dribble the appreciation of the dollar in 2013. "There are indications that the net revenue may even have decreased," says Tada.
The generic segment was presented the highest growth rate of the market both in volume and in turnover. In volume, the high was 16%, to 788.6 million units, allowing generics accounted for 27% of the total industry last year. In revenue, the advance was of 22%, moving $ 13.7 billion.
It is worth remembering, however, that the value released by IMS Health does not consider discounts of more than 50% offered by the retail industry and is based on records of prices made by the laboratories on Board of market regulation of Medicines (CMED). Even so, according to Brazilian Association of generic drug Industries (PróGenéricos), the evolution was within the expected by the entity, which foresaw annual growth between 15% and 20%. For Telma Salles, President of PróGenéricos, the results show that the low price and quality policy of attracting consumers in the country follows generic.
The reference market, in turn, presented high of 9 percent in revenue, to $ 18 billion. The growth in volume, however, was only 2%, to 691.8 million units, making this segment represented 23% of the total industry in the country.
Now the market of branded products-including similar drugs that utilize, such as generics, active ingredients that have already had the patent protection period closed, closed the year snapping up 48% of the industry, with a high of 15%, to 1.4 billion boxes sold. This segment is the largest and moved $ 26 billion, a growth of 20%.
For 2014, industry expectations are not high. "We expect to maintain the level of growth, not to download too," predicts Tada.