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A Company and Industry Analysis of the European Pharmaceutical Sectors Providing the Latest Data on the Current Environment & Market Trends

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 October 2008, 06:00 CDT

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8da5b6/europe_pharmaceuti) has announced the addition of the "Europe Pharmaceuticals Sectors: A Company and Industry Analysis (September 2008)" report to their offering.

This report updates the previous European pharmaceuticals report, this one focusing on the markets in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Current Environment - Key Points

-- During the first quarter of 2008, leading European pharmaceutical companies reported mixed performances

While drug makers such as Solvay SA, Merck KGaA and AstraZeneca reported rises in turnover and net profit, the net income for Sanofi-Aventis and GlaxoSmithKline Plc declined 12% and 9%, respectively, due to the negative effects of generics competition.

-- Over the six months period from December 3, 2007, to May 31, 2008, the share prices of the ten leading European pharmaceutical companies analyzed by Mergent dropped by an average of 12%

-- In January, anti-trust regulators raided big European drug makers as part of an investigation into whether patents and lawsuit settlements were being manipulated to keep generic products off the market

-- During the first half of 2008, the largest pharmaceutical buyout to take place was Novartis AG's acquisition of eyecare business Alcon (NYSE: ACL)

In April, Swiss drug maker Novartis agreed to buy Alcon, the subsidiary of food and beverages giant Nestl- (SWX: NESN), in a two-step transaction totaling US$39 billion.

Industry Profile - Key Points

-- Europe remains the second largest pharmaceutical market in the world with total sales of US$206.2 billion in 2007

Across the five major European markets - France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain - aggregate growth was 4.8% with total market value of US$140 billion.

-- Over the past two decades, European pharmaceutical innovation has weakened, losing its competitiveness and attractiveness for pharmaceutical R&D investment

Between 1990 and 2007, R&D investment in Europe only grew 3.3 times whereas in the US it grew 5.2 times.

-- On January 30, the European Commission approved tax reforms in the form of additional tax exemptions and reductions that aim to benefit the pharmaceutical industry in Belgium on sales of reimbursed medicines

-- In March, the British Government decided to replace the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme by giving six month's notice, a decision which disturbed the pharmaceutical industry

Market Trends and Outlook - Key Points

-- Pharmaceutical outsourcing is set to become a more popular trend, with many opportunities for growth, particularly in the contract manufacturing and research areas

-- In 2007, four of the top ten key industry players announced plans to withdraw from manufacturing and participate in major new outsourcing programs

-- Pharmaceutical R&D productivity and investment in Europe is experiencing sluggish growth, reflected by the decline in the number of new drugs launched - hampered by strict industry regulation, rising R&D costs and activities such as parallel trading and drug counterfeiting

-- Drug counterfeiting is becoming an even bigger problem, with Europe hitting an all time high of over four million items seized in 2007, compared with only around half a million items seized in 2005, raising concerns about public health and safety

-- In 2008, growth in Europe's top five markets - France, Germany, UK, Italy and Spain - is projected to grow by 4-5% versus 5-6% for global pharmaceutical sales.

Key Topics Covered: - Current Environment - Sector Overview - Sector Performance - Leading Companies - Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances Industry Profile - Industry Size and Value - Research and Development - Policy and Regulatory Environment Market Trends and Outlook - Pharmaceutical Outsourcing Set to Grow - Europe Trails Behind in Pharma R&D - Counterfeit Drugs: Europe's Bitter Pill - Market Outlook Country Profiles - Currency Conversion - The Scope of This Report - Key References - Comparative Data - Reports - Coverage

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8da5b6/europe_pharmaceuti

Source: Business Wire

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