The Australia Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Provides Independent Forecasts...

Sun Mar 2, 2008 9:00pm EST

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The Australia Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Provides Independent Forecasts and Competitive Intelligence on Australia's Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Industry

DUBLIN, Ireland--(Business Wire)--
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c84494) has announced the
addition of "Australia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q1 2008" to
their offering.

Australia is one of the leading pharmaceutical markets in the Asia
Pacific region, due to high per capita spending, and advanced
healthcare infrastructure and a pro-multinational stance. The
over-the-counter sector is expected to display the most promise over
our 5-year forecast period due to demographic changes, higher health
awareness, marketing and advertising efforts, and increased
prosperity. Another key trend is the promotion of external investment
by the government. The author currently values the overall
pharmaceutical market at nearly US$10bn and we are projecting
year-on-year growth of above 5% through to 2012.

Reforms to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) appear to be
working as the number of concessional scripts is increasing but
spending is being capped. In 1994-95, approximately 100mn
prescriptions were underwritten by the PBS. Over a 10-year period,
this figure had increased by over 40%, partially driven by the
population increase but mainly by greater dispensing to the elderly.
Meanwhile, during the 2005-06 period, the total amount spent on
pharmaceuticals funded by the PBS was AUD7.3bn (US$6.4bn).

This reflects growth in real terms of 2.7% from the previous year,
but marked a fall from the average annual growth of 9.1% for the
1995-96 to 2005-06 period. It was thought that Australia was prescient
to remove Novartis' pain drug Prexige (lumiracoxib) in August 2007.
However, it now appears that the Therapeutic Goods Administration
(TGA) may have been a little too hasty when approving it in the first
place. Lawyers have enquired why Prexige was available in Australia at
higher doses and with fewer warnings than in other countries.
According to a legal firm, of the 50 countries where the products is
approved, sale is only available in fifteen. On of those, no markets
actually promote a dosage over 100mg, except Australia (where a 200mg
formulation was frequently dispensed). Moreover, the lawyers also
pointed out that Australia's Prexige pack contained none of the liver
damage warnings included in other nations.

Meanwhile, in mid-October 2007, Indian firm Ipca Laboratories -
which is well-known for its expansionist activities - revealed that it
acquired a small formulation product dossier
registration-cum-distribution company in Australia, which held five
registration files prior to being bought. The rationale behind the
purchase was to penetrate the Australia's growing pharmaceutical
market. Because an Indian company cannot register a formulation
dossier in Australia without having a company there, Ipca sought out a
local firm with its own portfolio.

Companies Mentioned:

- Alphapharm

- AstraZeneca

- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries

- Eli Lilly

- GlaxoSmithKline

- Herron Pharmaceuticals

- Indigenous Manufacturers

- Merck & Co

- Novartis

- Pfizer

- Roche