IMS Health's annual IMS
World Review reveals
that combined audited and estimated unaudited global
pharmaceutical sales grew 9% at a constant dollar
rate in 2003 to reach $491.8 billion.
Audited sales increased 9% to $466.3 billion. The IMS
World Review tracks actual sales of approximately
90% of all prescription drugs, totaling over one
million brands, as well as specific over-the-counter
products in more than 80 countries.
"We are quickly approaching
the milestone of $500 billion for the global pharmaceutical
industry," said Murray Aitken, IMS Senior Vice President,
Corporate Strategy. "Passing that milestone will
reflect the success of the industry in bringing medical
innovation to the market, and the increased access to
patients of products that enhance the length and quality
of life."
Latin American sales recover
North America, Europe (the 15 member states of the European
Union) and Japan accounted for 88% of audited worldwide
pharmaceutical sales in 2003. Setting the pace among the
leading regions, North American pharmaceutical sales grew
11% to $229.5 billion, representing almost half of all
global sales in 2003. The EU experienced solid sales growth
of 8%, to $115.4 billion; the rest of Europe experienced
sales growth of 14%, to $14.3 billion.
Japan saw year-over-year growth of 3%, to reach $52.4
billion in pharmaceutical sales. Sales in the improving
economy of the Latin American region rose 6% to $17.4 billion
in 2003 - a sharp turnaround from a decline of 10% in 2002.
Pharmaceutical sales in Asia (excluding Japan), Africa
and Australia amounted to $37.3 billion, up 12% year-over-year.
2003 Global pharma sales by region
| World
Audited Market
|
2003
Sales ($bn) |
%
Global sales ($) |
%
Growth (constant
$)
|
|
North America |
229.5 |
49% |
+11% |
|
European Union |
115.4 |
25 |
8 |
|
Rest of Europe |
14.3 |
3 |
14 |
|
Japan |
52.4 |
11 |
3 |
|
Asia, Africa and Australia |
37.3 |
8 |
12 |
|
Latin America |
17.4 |
4 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
| TOTAL |
$466.3bn |
100% |
+9% |
Source: IMS World Review 2004
"The global pharmaceutical industry continued to
grow at a solid pace in 2003, despite difficult economic
conditions and continued pressure on the sector from regulators,
the media and payors," said Graham Lewis, IMS Vice
President, Strategic Consulting. "The US continues
to generate the highest growth, and we continue to see
solid sales results in Europe and Asia. The pace of growth
in Japan has accelerated, while the Latin
America market
shows signs of improvement. An increasingly robust drug
development pipeline, ageing populations, and the ongoing
demand for innovative therapies are driving forces behind
this global growth."
"Looking at the global pharma landscape, the Chinese
market continues to grow significantly and now represents
an important strategic market for the industry," added
Lewis. "It is important to note that despite the growth
rates achieved by generics in 2003, total growth of the
global pharma market still remained close to 10%. For the
past several years generics have remained at about 4-5%
of total pharma sales."
Leading therapy classes
The top ten therapy classes accounted for 30% of the total
audited world market in 2003. Four of the leading ten -
cholesterol & triglyceride reducers, antipsychotics,
erythropoietin products and anti-epileptics (anticonvulsants)
- each grew more than 10% year-over-year, with anti-epileptics
up 22% and antipsychotics up 20%. The strong growth of
the anti-epileptics knocked ACE inhibitors out of the top
ten rankings, coinciding as it did with the full impact
of patent expiry for several of the antihypertensives.
For the first time in 14 years, cholesterol & triglyceride
reducers moved ahead of anti-ulcerants as the leading therapeutic
class worldwide, with sales of $26.1 billion last year,
an increase of 14%. Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin),
again the world’s number one drug, accounted for $10.3
billion (39%) of sales in the cholesterol & triglyceride
reducer category, which is dominated by statins but also
includes fenofibrates and Schering-Plough and Merck & Co's
new cholesterol absorption inhibitor, Zetia (ezetimibe).
The loss of the top spot for anti-ulcerants was mainly
linked to the launch of generic omeprazole (AstraZeneca's Prilosec)
in the US in December 2002: until 2000, Prilosec/Losec
was the world's top-selling product. In general, growth
of the other members of the proton pump inhibitor class
for ulcers, GERD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease) and
heartburn was healthy: the anti-ulcerants class saw a 9%
increase in sales in 2003 to $24.3 billion.
Leading therapy classes in 2003 global
pharmaceutical sales
|
Rank |
Audited
World Therapy Class |
2003
Sales ($bn) |
%
Global sales ($) |
%
Growth (constant $) |
|
1 |
Cholest. & Triglyceride
Reducers |
26.1 |
6% |
+14% |
|
2 |
Anti-ulcerants |
24.3 |
5 |
9 |
|
3 |
Antidepressants |
19.5 |
4 |
10 |
|
4 |
Antirheumatic Non-Steroidals |
12.4 |
3 |
6 |
|
5 |
Antipsychotics |
12.2 |
3 |
20 |
|
6 |
Calcium Antagonists,
Plain |
10.8 |
2 |
2 |
|
7 |
Erythropoietins |
10.1 |
2 |
16 |
|
8 |
Anti-Epileptics |
9.4 |
2 |
22 |
|
9 |
Oral Antidiabetics |
9.0 |
2 |
10 |
|
10 |
Cephalosporins & Combinations |
8.3 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Leading 10 ATCs at Level 3 |
$142.0bn |
30% |
+11% |
Source: IMS World Review 2004
Antidepressants/mood stabilisers was again the third-ranked
therapy class, with sales up 10% last year, to $19.5 billion,
and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) maintained
their number four position. The antipsychotics, for schizophrenia
and now increasingly bipolar disorder, moved up one position
to fifth place, displacing calcium antagonists, for hypertension.
Leading products
The top ten best-selling drugs worldwide accounted for
$48.3 billion in sales last year, a 14% increase over 2002.
Within the total audited world market, Lipitor was the
top-selling drug in 2003, with another statin, Merck & Co's Zocor (simvastatin),
repeating its second-place ranking from 2002 with $6.1
billion in sales, though this was a decline of 4% from
2002; the statin has recently lost exclusivity in a number
of European markets.
Of the ten best-selling drugs in 2003, the fastest-growing
worldwide was AstraZeneca's GERD therapy Nexium (esomeprazole),
making its first appearance on the top ten chart at number
seven, with sales rising 62% year-over-year to $3.8 billion.
Its heady growth reflects the determination and success
of AstraZeneca's marketing campaign to persuade physicians
and patients to use Nexium in lieu of its first-generation
product Prilosec, which is now available as a generic product
in many countries. Prilosec/Losec rapidly dropped out of
the top ten rankings, having been the number three product
in 2002.
Another patent casualty was GlaxoSmithKline's antidepressant Paxil/Seroxat (paroxetine),
which was ranked no.8 in 2002. Pfizer's Zoloft (sertraline),
which maintained its tenth place, is now the world's top
branded antidepressant following the loss of exclusivity
for Paxil and Lilly's Prozac (fluoxetine). GSK,
however, had a new entry in the shape of asthma drug Seretide/Advair (fluticasone/salmeterol),
which reached the no.9 position. And Pfizer didn't have
it all its own way: as sales dipped for arthritis drug Celebrex (celecoxib),
ranked ninth in 2002, it gave way to Sanofi-Synthelabo
and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Plavix (clopidogrel),
a platelet anti-aggregant that went straight in at no.8.
Leading products in 2003 global pharmaceutical
sales
|
Rank
|
Audited World Product Sales
|
2003 sales ($bn)
|
% Growth (constant $)
|
|
1
|
Lipitor
|
10.3
|
+14%
|
|
2
|
Zocor
|
6.1
|
-4
|
|
3
|
Zyprexa
|
4.8
|
+13
|
|
4
|
Norvasc
|
4.5
|
+7
|
|
5
|
Erypo (Eprex/Procrit)
|
4.0
|
+13
|
|
6
|
Ogastro/Prevacid
|
4.0
|
0
|
|
7
|
Nexium
|
3.8
|
+62
|
|
8
|
Plavix
|
3.7
|
+40
|
|
9
|
Seretide/Advair
|
3.7
|
+40
|
|
10
|
Zoloft
|
3.4
|
+11
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total 10 Leading Products
|
$48.3bn
|
+14%
|
Source: IMS World Review
2004
"Clearly, Lipitor, Zyprexa and Nexium and others
all managed significant growth despite the more intensive
competition in their respective classes," said Lewis. "It
is also significant that the number of blockbusters continue
to grow, with 64 products having over $1 billion in sales
in 2003, and 23 of those over $2 billion."
IMS World Review is compiled using the IMS
MIDAS global
analysis system, which captures the dynamics of pharmaceutical
activity in more than 80 countries. Growth in sales
is measured in constant dollars, enabling analyses
without the influence of fluctuating currency exchange
rates. Pharmaceutical sales figures include prescription
and certain over-the-counter data, and represent
manufacturer prices. For a full explanation of figures
and collection methods see Data
Value and definitions.
For
further details about IMS
World Review 2004, please contact Laura
Darling via
e-mail or call +44 207 393 5356.
|
