US Sale of Prescription Drugs Tops $300 Billion in 2009
IMS Health, a market intelligence company that tracks US drug prescriptions, 
reported that the US sale of prescription drugs grew 5.1% in 2009 to $300.3 billion.
IMS identified the following key trends among the major therapeutic areas:
- Antipsychotics remained the top-selling class of medications in the U.S., with 2009 prescription sales of $14.6 billion, equal to the 2008 level.
- Lipid regulators continued as the largest therapy class in the U.S. by dispensed prescription volume, growing at a 5 percent pace to 212 million prescriptions dispensed in 2009. Sales of lipid regulators declined 10 percent last year to $13.1 billion, reflecting an ongoing shift toward lower-cost generic alternatives. Lipid regulators ranked #3 in overall sales in 2009.
- Proton pump inhibitors replaced lipid regulators as the second-largest therapeutic class in sales last year. Proton pump inhibitors sales totaled $13.6 billion, a 2 percent decline year over year, while dispensed prescription volume for this therapeutic class rose 5 percent.
- Antidepressants became the fourth-largest class in 2009, up from its #5 ranking the prior year, with U.S. prescription sales growth of 3 percent to $9.9 billion.
- Sales of antineoplastic monoclonal antibodies, a leading oncology class that includes Avastin®, Rituxan® and Herceptin®, grew at a 9 percent pace in 2009 and ranked #6 in therapeutic class sales.
IMS also reported that use of generic products, including branded generics, continued to rise last year and now represent 75 percent of all dispensed prescriptions in the U.S., up from 57 percent in 2004. The total number of generic prescriptions dispensed increased 5.9 percent in 2009, while the number of branded prescriptions dispensed declined 7.6 percent.
While the US pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries continue to cry poverty, it appears that sale of prescriptions drugs continues to grow at a pretty good rate. Look for increased growth until 2014 when healthcare reform begins to kick in.
Until next time…
Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!
