Cegedim specialists expect stagnation for 2009, and even a slight decline, though local drug consumption per capita is two-three times lower than in Central Europe and five times lower than in Western Europe.
The sudden stoppage on this market is not due to either its nearing maturity or the economic crisis, but rather to specific local conditions.
“The average long-term growth trend is some 10-12 percent, but 2008 was a difficult year, below this trend. The main difficulty was the freezing of drug prices, which generates losses along the entire chain, leading to the October distributor, a phenomenon which does not occur in Europe, and whose effects are not yet solved,” said the General Manager of Cegedim Romania, Petru Craciun.
Imports make up four fifths of the domestic market, which means that the depreciation of the leu has had a major impact.
