In terms of value, the market lost 8.8 percent in Q2 in euro, to €449.9 million, while in lei, it increased 4.7 percent, to RON 1.8 billion, according to data published by the Cegedim market research company, specializing in the pharmaceutical market.
While the decline in euro can be explained in terms of the drop in prices for imported medications, which make up 80 percent of consumption, and the evolution of the exchange rate, the decline in the number of units of consumption of medications has numerous explanations, said Cegedim Romania’s General Manager, Petru Craciun.
“Brand medications have the lowest price in Europe. There is a risk of these being re-exporting to European countries, something producers are attempting to minimize without success. As concerns generic drugs, the fact that the price must not be higher than 65 percent of the price of brand medications makes many products unprofitable for producers. With OTCs [Ed. n.: over-the-counter drugs] the reason is the decline in purchasing power,” Craciun said.
