Pharmaceutical companies, stars of H1 after growth of almost 40%

Pharmaceutical companies registered further increases in the first half of 2010, at paces that in some cases got as high as 40%, after they were the "winners of the crisis" last year, and the entire industry seems to be defying the current period, of struggle for survival. The drug industry rose by 19% in the first six months, according to Cegedim data quoted by pharmaceutical companies' representatives. The trend, generated both by the rising drug prices starting April 1, and by a more aggressive promotion of expensive products, was felt both in players' sales and profits. The "star" of this period was Zentiva, which in H1 saw its profit triple and turnover go up by 36%. In a ranking drawn up by ZF, Sanofi-Aventis came second in terms of 2009 growth. The market was equally favourable for A&D Pharma domestic giant, which had a 90% profit leap, while its sales in euros advanced by 30%. While during the years prior to the crisis real estate investments were the recipe of success, recent years have shown that pharmaceutical companies were in fact a more lucrative investment.