The Outlook for Pharmaceuticals in Central Asia

Each country report in this regional collection provides a comprehensive analysis of the pharmaceutical market, including five-year market forecasts. For each country you will receive 4 completely updated reports sent quarterly, plus comprehensive report sent annually.
    
4 Key Markets Covered!

• Bangladesh
• China
• India
• Pakistan

Highlights from the region

INDIA

India has a huge population in excess of one billion people and a growing middle class with access to high quality healthcare. Conversely, in this geographically vast country plagued by natural disasters, the majority of the population is both rural and poor and western style pharmaceuticals are not even an issue for millions of people.

India has an established domestic industry, responsible for around 8% of world pharmaceutical production. The larger domestic companies are striving to compete in the global market for both generics and original products. The market is dominated by low priced, domestically-produced generics and relatively low per capita expenditure on pharmaceuticals.

The introduction of patent protection for pharmaceutical products from 1st January 2005 makes India a more attractive proposition for the international research-based industry, albeit in a highly competitive market. The highly skilled domestic workforce offers good opportunities for outsourcing both research and production.

CHINA

China, in terms of both its healthcare system and medical device market, is a nation of contradiction. As the world’s most populous country, and one in possession of the fastest growing major economy in the world, the nation offers a vast array of opportunities for overseas investors, complemented by a massive potential workforce and consumer base. The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) crisis of 2003 forced the government to examine the Chinese health infrastructure in great detail and healthcare has become a priority of the present government.

Other priorities addressed by the government include the standard of rural healthcare which for many years has differed markedly in its quality to that in urban areas. In particular, the more basic practices of ‘barefoot doctors’ are being phased out, and medical personnel in these impoverished regions are now required to pass a more advanced series of qualifications in order to be recognised by the government. Increased investment from overseas in the form of a range of projects continues, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China has assumed greater significance, with the establishment of various programmes aimed at attempting to combat the disease.

PAKISTAN

The Pakistani pharmaceutical market has slowly evolved over the years, from one that was largely dominated by multinationals around 20 years ago, to one that is now almost evenly split between local and multinational companies. One of the world’s most populous countries, poverty is rife in Pakistan and standards of living are defined by substandard sanitation, malnutrition and widespread incidence of communicable diseases.

Increased competition, low drug prices, rising raw material costs, poor intellectual property rights and generally weak market conditions brought on by economic and political instability has made the country somewhat less attractive to some multinational companies.

In 2008, Merck Sharp & Dohme Pakistan (Karachi) sold its business to Karachi-based Organon BioSciences based on declining sales and profits. Another multinational company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, quit its Pakistan operations in December 2008, but its rival GlaxoSmithKline bought out the former’s operations in a bid to consolidate its position.

BANGLADESH

Given the country's lack of spending power, the pharmaceutical market, at US$682 million, remains tiny in comparison with the size of the population. Pharmaceutical spending is amongst the lowest in the world in per capita terms. Steadily improving economic performance, combined with a general determination to boost the quality of healthcare, should lead to steady, if unspectacular, market growth, although the nation is currently in the grips of political turmoil. A military-backed interim government, in power since October 2006 has been forced to declare a state of emergency and in April 2007, two prominent political figures and former leaders were exiled. Elections are expected to take place by the end of 2008, in the meantime the army is considering initiating martial law.

An increase in investment in Bangladesh by multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers is anticipated to stimulate the sector. The revised National Drug Policy was introduced in 2005 with the hope of attracting foreign multinational investment and revitalising the health sector in the long term. In addition the continually improving performance of Beximco, the leading domestic manufacturer, offers encouraging signs for the future. In 2005 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and hopes to move into the lucrative Western markets. Bangladesh pharmaceutical exports are expected to increase by 20%-25% by the end of 2008.The market is dominated by cheap, locally produced generic drugs used for the treatment or prevention of basic illnesses and conditions.


FOR EVERY MARKET, SENT QUARTERLY

MARKET OUTLOOK

• Current market size
• Unique 5-Year market projections to 2014
• Market outlook
• Comment & rating, covering 8 key areas such as use of generic drugs, intellectual property, pricing and the health systems
• Market structure
• Statistical data on imports and exports
• Market developments, covering recent and impending developments with respect to key issues such as regulation, health facilities, funding and government policy
• Key national data projections

FOR EVERY MARKET, SENT ANNUALLY

BACKGROUND DATA
Population data, including growth trends and age structure
Demographic indicators detailing principal causes of death and morbidity

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Organisation & administration
Health expenditure
- Expenditure by source of funding and type
Hospital services
- Hospital data such as beds by type, region, specialty, patient admissions and surgical procedures
Outpatient care
Medical personnel
- Data on healthcare professionals covering such areas as doctors by specialty, nursing staff and dentists

ACCESSING THE PHARMA MARKET
Regulatory environment
Distribution guide and trade fair information
Domestic production

CONTACT DETAILS
For healthcare organisations and trade associations