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General Method of Data Collection

IMS' pharmaceutical audits for individual countries serve as the main source of comparative sales data on the pharmaceutical industry. The audits are continuous, periodic market surveys based on statistically representative samples, the data from which provide regional and national estimates. In the major countries, the pharmaceutical audits incorporate transaction data from wholesalers giving rise to a near-census of the retail market.

Each country audit records the data according to local requirements. Therefore the way data is collected and held will vary from country to country. In the European countries and America, the majority of pharmaceuticals are dispensed or sold mainly through retail pharmacies and drug stores. Thus sampling at the retail pharmacy level in such countries will represent a major proportion of the total market. Consequently, most of the IMS audits are sampled through retail pharmacies. There are some exceptions, for example Japan (see below).

The audits provide a comprehensive record of purchases of pharmaceuticals in each country. A number of retail pharmacies and wholesalers are chosen for sampling (sample size) and sales data is collected by IMS on a regular basis. This data is then projected to estimate sales for the total number of retail pharmacies in a country (this is referred to as the universe). With some variation in each country, the sales estimates shown represent direct and indirect purchases by retail pharmacies from pharmaceutical wholesalers and manufacturers.

It should be noted that, whilst IMS data is the most comprehensive source available to monitor sales through their retail channels, some products are more widely distributed and used in a hospital or clinic environment (for example oncology, diagnostic or specialist anti-infective treatments). For such products, IMS retailer-based audits do not provide comprehensive coverage, and supplementary data sources will be required to project these data to a total universe for these specialist products.


DATA VALUES AND DEFINITIONS

SALES VALUES

The dollar values in this report represent local currency sales converted into US dollars on a quarterly basis, using the prevailing average exchange rate for the quarter.

Sales values are standardised at EX-MANUFACTURER level. In many countries, including USA, Canada, Japan and throughout Latin America, these are estimated weighted average factors, which take into account varying margins and the direct/indirect sales mix. As market conditions change the conversion factors are updated by the local IMS offices. Changes in factors are not retroactively applied to historic data.

GROWTH RATES

Three types of growth rate are presented in WORLD REVIEW:

+

This indicates growth expressed in percentage terms, during the time period specified. A value of >999 indicates growth exceeding 1000%.

Growth may be expressed in terms of:

(i) US dollars

(ii) Local currency - in the Country Profile section

(iii) Local Currency Dollars (LCD) - in international tables. LCD growth represents average growth in sales measured in local currencies. LCD data are calculated by recomputing US dollar sales from local currency using the average exchange rate for the fourth quarter of 1996 for all time periods. The user is thus able to observe local currency growth in international studies, but without the influence of fluctuating exchange rates.

EI

 

The EVOLUTION INDEX compares the growth of an element of a market with the growth of the market in which it operates.

Calculation of EI ExampleTotal market growth 7%Therapeutic class growth 14%(100 + 14) x 100 =106(100 + 7)

Therefore the EI of the therapeutic class in relation to the total market is 106.An EI greater than 100 indicates above-average performance, whilst an EI below 100 indicates below-average performance. An EI of 100 occurs when growth in both elements is equal.

MARKET SHARE%

This indicates the percentage share of a market element in relation to the market in which it operates during the time period stated.

CORPORATE AFFILIATIONS

The corporate entity label allows you to pinpoint the sales of any pharmaceutical corporation. Any alterations in corporate affiliation are implemented retroactively. Hence, the historic sales of a newly acquired subsidiary are attributed to the new parent company for all the time periods.

E.G. Roche acquired a 65% stake in Genentech in 1990. Hence, 65% of Genetech's sales are attributed to Roche and 35% to Genentech.

The treatment of joint-ventures within Pharmaceutical World Review is that any percentage ownership (eg 80:20, 70:30, 48:52, 50:50) is reflected in the sales of the owning corporation. Where a company is owned by two or more corporate groups, that company's sales are apportioned to each of the owning corporations according to their percentage ownership.

E.G. in Japan the local manufacturer Banyu Seiyaku is owned 51% by Merck & Co. and 49% by Banyu Seiyaku. Hence 51% of Banyu Seiyaku's sales are attributed to Merck & Co. and the remaining 49% to Banyu Seiyaku.

Also in Japan the local manufacturer Roussel Morishita is currently owned 52% by Hoechst Marion Roussel, 33% by Ajinomoto, 5% by Chugai and 10% Independent.

Therefore currently on the MIDAS database, and subsequently in World Review, 52% of Roussel Morishita's sales are attributed to HMR, 33% to Ajinomoto, 5% to Chugai and 10% Independent.

ANATOMICAL THERAPEUTIC CLASSIFICATION (ATC)

The Anatomical Therapeutic Classification, by which products are grouped according to the part of the body they are used to treat, is now used in IMS audits throughout the world, except in North America. The same system is used in WORLD REVIEW. A full listing of the ATC system is given in Appendix 5.

INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT

Pharmaceutical World Review uses INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT names in international tables. The concept of the international product was devised for IMS's international database MIDAS, to enable users to evaluate sales of a product internationally, even if the product is known by different names in different countries.Products are linked internationally if at least two of the following three characteristics are the same as in the country of first launch:- brand name- marketing corporation- active ingredients

Please note:

Belgium Hospital

- At the time of Pharmaceutical World Review production data for Belgium Hospital remained at quarter 3 1996. The panel remains part of the World Review. Corporation and international product descriptor files have been loaded to include quarter 4 linkages.

Japan

- The Japan retail data now includes the revised factor for the OTC sector from 1996, which may affect the trend for this country.

Japan

- Factor Changes - Due to government price revisions and the introduction of the new price quotation system in Japan, sales level factor changes were applied retroactively from quarter 2/92 onwards. The ex-manufacturer level (MNF) factor changed from 0.65 to 0.70 from quarter 2 1992 onwards for both Japan and Japan hospital. The trade level factor changed on the MIDAS database at the same time. A further factor change from 0.70 to 0.72 was introduced from quarter 2 1994. These changes have been applied to the data used in Pharmaceutical World Review.

Malaysia

- At the time of Pharmaceutical World Review production data for Malaysia remained at quarter 3 1996. The panel remains part of the World Review. Corporation and international product descriptor files have been loaded to include quarter 4 linkages.

South Africa Hospital

- At the time of Pharmaceutical World Review production data for South Africa Hospital remained at quarter 3 1996. The panel remains part of the World Review. Corporation and international product descriptor files have been loaded to include quarter 4 linkages.

United States

- Please note that data in this book relates to US retail and non-federal hospital panels only. The decision to not include US foodstore data and the provider perspective hospitals panels was taken as six years of trendable data is not yet available on MIDAS.

 

 



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