Wholesale medicine sales up by 3.2% in February

2010-03-09

The value of wholesale sales of medicines to pharmacies rose by 3.2% y-o-y in February and amounted to PLN 1.75bn (€452m) in Poland, according to latest data from IMS Health. This came after a drop of 7% y-o-y in January. However, the increase was the smallest in four years for this time of the year. By comparison, the market grew by 6.5% y-o-y in February 2009 and by 12% y-o-y or more in each of the two years before that.
In the first two weeks of February sales to pharmacies in fact exhibited zero growth, amid decreased patient activity and fewer respiratory infections due to persistent subzero temperatures; but accelerated in the latter part of the month.
In monthly terms sales fell by 9% in February. This is a normal occurrence at this time of the year, resulting from seasonal factors, and the decline was in fact smaller than in previous years, due to exceptionally weak January figures.
IMS Health expects the rate of market growth to accelerate in the months ahead and forecasts full-year growth at 7% in 2010.
In 2009 wholesale medicine sales grew by nearly 11% to PLN 21.4bn (€5.5bn).