Drug sales in Romania last year rose by 18.7% in lei (19.6% ineuros), to 9.6bn lei (2.28bn euros), with the best performancebeing registered in the first six months of the year, according tothe data provided by Cegedim Romania market research firm.
In April, the Health Ministry updated the prices of prescriptiondrugs, namely allowed for their prices to be raised by 6%, a movethat pushed the drug market up. Thus, with second quarter increase,the market at that time reached record growth of 35% and then lostmomentum before posting an increase of just 4.4% in lei (3.8% ineuros) in the fourth quarter.
The figures on the pharmaceutical market come shortly after similardata were published with regard to the insurance and car markets,both of them in decline. In recent years, the pharmaceutical markethas been one of the few industries of Romania that have been immuneto the crisis despite contractions in other fields.
"The annual increase was surprising for 2010, particularly againstthe trend of other industries of Romania, but this is because tothe first half performance," said Petru Crăciun, general manager ofCegedim Romania.
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