The Pharmaceutical Market: Belgium

Pharmaceutical consumption in Belgium is comparatively high, although the complicated reimbursement system has hindered access to innovative drugs in the past. More recently, the government has attempted to speed up regulatory procedures and improve access to new drugs of major therapeutic value. However, the market is only showing modest growth as the move towards more costly innovative medicines is counterbalanced by downward pressure on prices for more mature products. Fears that Belgium's pharmaceutical sector was starting to lose out competitively to other European countries has resulted in the setting up of a federal drugs agency, which officially started operations in 2007.

The market is divided into two linguistic regions; the northern Dutch speaking region of Flanders and the southern French speaking region of Wallonia. The capital, Brussels, is situated in the Dutch region but has bilingual status. Most pharmaceutical companies active in the Belgian market operate through their own Belgian-based subsidiaries, while a few use the services of indigenous manufacturers.

The Belgian healthcare system is based on the principles of equitable access and freedom of choice. The majority of healthcare providers are independent practitioners who are paid on a fee-for-service basis. Management of the healthcare system in Belgium is complicated by the country's system of multiple governments at federal, regional and community level. Political wrangling between the Flemish and Walloon political groups over how much power should be devolved from the federal government to the regions was the main reason for the nine-month delay in forming a new government following legislative elections in June 2007.

in 2008, GDP is forecast to rise to US$536.2 billion, but this is largely due to the effects of the weak dollar. Real GDP growth is expected to be around 1.4% in 2008, falling to 1.2% in 2009.