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Research and Markets: In February 2008, a Dutch Court Ruled Against Us Drug-Maker Pfizer in a Court Case Regarding the Patent on Atorvastatin

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 July 2008, 06:00 CDT

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c55724/netherlands_pharma) has announced the addition of the "Netherlands Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q2 2008" report to their offering.

The Netherlands Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report provides independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Netherlands pharmaceuticals and healthcare industry.

Growth will be far from impressive for the drug market in the Netherlands over the forecast period, although, in many ways this reflects the general sluggishness seen in mature markets. BMI expects the market to reach a value of US$7.06bn in 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.08%. Growth will be strongest in the generics market but should also be reasonable for consumer health products as these medicines benefit from government liberalisation policies.

The generics sector, however, will be negatively impacted by the new transition agreement regarding pharmaceutical prices that has come into effect. In January 2008, the price of generic medicines was reduced by 10%. BMI has factored this decrease into our forecasts and believes that the generics market will reach a value of US$1.28bn by 2012. In addition, medicines whose patents expire in 2008 will see price cuts of 50%. The Dutch Pharmacy Association, KNMP, claims that the plans are designed to keep the cost of medicines down. Also, they are designed to help transform the pharmaceutical market from being supply-based to being demand-based.

In terms of company activity, the sector has been quiet after last year saw US drug-maker Schering-Plough acquire Organon, the pharmaceuticals division of Dutch industrial conglomerate Akzo Nobel for EUR11bn (US$14.5bn). However, in February 2008, a Dutch court ruled against US drug-maker Pfizer in a court case regarding the patent on atorvastatin, the key ingredient in cholesterol reducing drug Lipitor is invalid. This is a severe blow for Pfizer, as it could open the door for generic competition for its bestselling drug.

Meanwhile, recent attacks by animal extremists in the Netherlands have forced a local company to pull out of a life sciences project. BMI believes that the latest problems in the Netherlands, if sustained, will have a negative impact on the country's Business Environment Rating. The Netherlands has a respected regulatory system, with an average score of eight across our three main indicators, but we will downgrade the scores if intimidation of the research sector is permitted to continue.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Netherlands Pharmaceuticals And Healthcare Industry

Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings

Table: Western European Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings

Limits To Potential Returns

Risks To Realisation Of Returns

Market Summary

Regulatory Regime

Intellectual Property Developments

Pricing And Reimbursement

OTC Medicines

Industry Developments

Healthcare Sector

Healthcare Insurance

Table: Key Points - Dutch Health Insurance Act, January 1 2006

Health Profile

Pharmaceuticals Sector

Recent Domestic Companies' Activities

Recent Foreign Companies' Activities

Research And Development Sector

Industry Forecast Scenario

Overall Market Forecast

Table: The Netherlands Drug Market Forecast Indicators

Key Growth Factors - Industry

Table: Netherlands Health Expenditure Indicators

Key Growth Factors - Macroeconomic

Table: Netherlands - Macroeconomic Forecasts

Patented Market Forecast

Table: The Netherlands' Patented Drug Market Forecast Indicators (US$mn unless otherwise stated)

Over-The-Counter Market Forecast

Table: The Netherlands OTC Drugs Market Forecast Indicators (US$mn unless otherwise stated)

Generics Forecasts

Table: The Netherlands' Generics And Branded Market Forecast Indicators

Export/Import Forecasts

Table: The Netherlands' Pharmaceutical Trade Forecast Indicators (US$mn)

Key Risks To our Forecast Scenario

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles

Leading Multinational Manufacturers

- Merck & Co

- Pfizer

- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

- Sanofi-Aventis

- Novartis

Indigenous Manufacturers

- Akzo Nobel

- DSM

- Qiagen

- Pharming Group

- Crucell

BMI Forecast Modelling

How We Generate Our Industry Forecasts

Pharmaceutical Industry

Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings Methodology

Ratings Overview

Table: Pharmaceutical Business Environment Indicators

Weighting

Table: Weighting Of Components

Sources

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c55724/netherlands_pharma

Source: Business Wire

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