Abstract
In 2008, Switzerland’s drug market expenditure reached a value of
CHF5.9bn (US$5.4bn). The value of
the country’s pharmaceutical
market is forecast to reach CHF6.6bn (US$5.6bn) by 2013, representing a
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.35% in local currency terms.
In
BMI’s Business Environment Rankings for Q309, Switzerland has regained
pole position in the
Western European matrix, moving back up from second.
Its score for Q309 is a strong 69.1, comfortably
above the regional
average of 64.7. Moreover, globally, Switzerland remains one of the top
five
pharmaceutical markets in which to do business. However, BMI believes
that in the future Switzerland
may fall down the world rankings, as large
high-growth emerging markets – such as Brazil and China –
become more alluring to multinational drugmakers.
In March 2009, in
response to the Switzerland Council of State’s call for a reduction in
the price of
medicines in the country, research-based Swiss pharmaceutical
companies requested that the regulations
surrounding the prices of drugs
be evaluated. Interpharma, the association of pharmaceutical companies
in
Switzerland, asked the Federal Office of Public Health, the health insurance
industry and the
pharmaceutical industry to come together to create a
sustainable price regulation system.
The council asked for an increase in
the number of countries with which Switzerland compares its
medicine
prices. The basket currently consists of Germany, Denmark, the UK and the
Netherlands, to
which the agency suggested adding France, Italy and
Austria. The agency believed there should be a more
thorough evaluation of
pharmaceutical companies and their pricing of medicines, and that more should
be
done to encourage pricing competition in Switzerland. These measures
could save an estimated
CHF360mn per year, the association said.
Additionally, in March 2009, Galencia, Switzerland’s largest drug
wholesaler, announced its decision to
acquire Sun Store, the second
largest pharmacy chain in the country. This means that Galencia (part
owned by Alliance Boots), will own one in every six of the 1,700 pharmacies in
Switzerland. Details of
the cost of the transaction were not revealed and
it is expected the deal will be completed in July 2009. In
2008, Galencia
acquired MediService, one of the leading mail-order pharmacies in
Switzerland.
According to Swissmedic, the Swiss medicines agency, the
number of illegal medicines coming into
Switzerland rose by 75% in 2008
compared to the previous year. More than half the medicines seized
originated from Western Europe and Asia. Ruth Mosimann, the agency’s
head of market monitoring of
illegal medicines, said that the rise can be
partially attributed to the global increase in the number of
internet
pharmacies and the illicit advertising of drugs.
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