|
 |
|
|
|
Este informe no está disponible en español. CARIBBEAN BUSINESS P.R.’s Pharmaceutical Drug Sales Grew 18% To $1.5 Billion In 2003 Sales volumes expected to remain flat this year, but local industry’s annual growth to outpace worldwide average By MARIALBA MARTINEZ June 17, 2004 Puerto Rico’s $1.52 billion in pharmaceutical drug sales during 2003 would put it between West Virginia (No. 34) and Nevada (No. 35) if it were included in a state comparison by IMS Health Inc. The island’s 2003 pharmaceutical drug sales were 18% higher than 2002’s $1.29 billion, IMS Health Vice President of Industry Relations Doug Long revealed during a presentation sponsored by the Puerto Rico Pharmaceutical Industry Association. Sales growth for 2004 is expected to remain steady at 18%, more than the estimated 8% to 11% growth worldwide. Drug sales at local retail stores (chain pharmacies) grew to $804 million in 2003 from $736 million in 2002, up 9%. Hospital sales were $302 million in 2003, compared with $282 million the year before, up 7%. Nonretail sales (independent / community pharmacies) increased from $145 million in 2002 to $169 million last year, up 17%; and not-reported sales (usually clinics or nursing homes) were $180 million in 2003, compared with $119 million in 2002, up 51%. "In terms of the sales growth of the top 10 corporations in Puerto Rico during 2003, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline are Nos. 1 and 2, the same as on the U.S. mainland. Merck sit at No. 3 [fourth in the States] and Abbott is No. 4, meaning it has a more significant presence on the island than on the mainland [where it is No. 12]. Bristol-Myers Squibb [BMS], Wyeth Corp., Johnson & Johnson [J&J], Eli Lilly & Co., Novartis, and AstraZeneca Corp. complete the list," said Long. "For the most part, Puerto Rico’s list is kind of a reordering of the top 10 in the States. The companies that are growing the most in Puerto Rico are BMS, J&J, and AstraZeneca, with an average 10% growth." (See chart on page 17) Of Puerto Rico’s top 20 pharmaceutical corporations, several showed significant growth last year. Two companies with no manufacturing operations on the island saw 59.5% and 51.4% higher sales, respectively: Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc. and American Pharmaceutical Partners Inc. Other pharmaceutical companies with sales gains were Aventis Corp. (up 26.8%) and Hoffmann-La Roche (up 20.1%). As expected, Pfizer sits comfortably at the top of the list with $164.1 million in sales locally and 9.6% sales growth over 2002. On the other hand, the ranking of Puerto Rico’s top 10 pharmaceutical products for 2003 is significantly different from the U.S. mainland’s. It should be noted, however, that drug sales don’t necessarily correlate with number of prescriptions filled. Epogen, for example, was Puerto Rico’s sales leader in 2003, but it didn’t even make the top 10 in prescriptions filled. Sales of generic products are also on the rise. In 2003, the five bestsellers were Metformin HCL ($5.3 million), Amot TR/POT Clavul ($5.3 million), Ferrlecit ($4.4 million), Albuterol ($4.1 million), and Pedvax HIB ($3.9 million). Bright outlook for Puerto Rico "Puerto Rico is a $1.5 billion market, and it is growing 18% annually," said Long. "With market growth on the U.S. mainland at 11.5% for 2004, Puerto Rico is growing about 57% faster. The island has become one of the faster-growing areas of the world." According to Long, Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical industry is contending with many of the same issues as other markets’. These include tightening of healthcare budgets, particularly for the medically indigent, and price pressure in part because of drug formularies. Despite the challenges, the pharmaceutical industry is continuing to emerge as a leader in manufacturing. "On a worldwide basis, we are looking at 8% to 11% growth between 2004 and 2008," said Long. "By comparison, the forecast for U.S. mainland growth is 10% to 13%, so we will be growing a little bit more. We also expect pharmaceutical stocks to outperform the broader markets because of the Medicare-friendly laws on the U.S. mainland. And more exciting, blockbuster drugs are expected to fuel consumer demand, particularly with combination therapies. The pending expiration of drug patents will continue to be a concern, however. "While fewer, major patent expirations will continue to threaten profitability. These, together with unproductive pipelines, will fuel mergers and acquisitions," said Long. Top 10 Pharmaceutical Products in Puerto Rico vs. U.S. Mainland 2002-2003 Drugs / Rank in P.R. / 2003 Sales / % Change / U.S. Mainland Rank / U.S. Mainland Sales Epogen / 1 / $28 million / + 2% / 6 / $3 billion Lipitor / 2 / $21 million / +16% / 1 / $7 billion Plavix / 3 / $18 million / +49% / * / * Procrit / 4 / $16 million / +31% / 4 / $3 billion Prevacid / 5 / $16 million / +15% / 3 / $4 billion Zocor / 6 / $14 million / - 1% / 2 / $4 billion Singulair / 7 / $14 million / +33% / * / * Norvasc / 8 / $13 million / +11% / * / * Neurontin / 9 / $13 million / +19% / 10 / $3 billion Zyprexa / 10 / $12 million / - 3% / 7 / $3 billion *Don’t appear in top 10 list for U.S. mainland. Source: IMS Health Inc. Top 10 Pharmaceutical Corporations in Puerto Rico vs. U.S. Mainland 2003 vs. 2002 Company / Rank in P.R. / 2003 Sales / % Change / U.S. Mainland Rank / U.S. Mainland Sales Pfizer Inc. / 1 / $164 million / +10% / 1 / $30 billion GlaxoSmithKline / 2 / $105 million / - 6% / 2 / $19 billion Merck & Co. / 3 / $90 million / +11% / 4 / $14 billion Abbott Laboratories / 4 / $68 million / +14% / 12 / $ 7 billion Bristol-Myers Squibb / 5 / $67 million / +20% / 6 / $10 billion Wyeth Corp. / 6 / $66 million / +16% / 9 / $ 8 billion Johnson & Johnson / 7 / $57 million / +20% / 3 / $15 billion Eli Lilly & Corp. / 8 / $53 million / + 6% / 10 / $8 billion Novartis / 9 / $51 million / +11% / 7 / $10 billion AstraZeneca Corp. / 10 / $46 million / +14% / 5 / $10 billion Source: IMS Health Inc. This Caribbean Business article appears courtesy of Casiano Communications. or
|
