Spanish pharmaceutical market evolution

Data from the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs pertaining to the month of August of 2009 shows that growth in public pharmaceutical expenditure in Spain has reached 4.78%. This annual growth of expenditure is due to a 4.68% increase in the number of prescriptions, and a 0.09% on the average expenditure per prescription, reports the country's trade body Farmaindustria.

The growth of the public pharmaceutical expenditure is still on its moderation path and, for the second consecutive month, remains below an annual 5%. After a brief fall experienced in July, the number of prescriptions regained growth rates which are closer to 5%, rather than an annual 4%. However, the average price per prescription has accumulated falls, and in August reached the greatest decline in five years (-1.6%). When comparing the current annual growth rates of the public pharmaceutical market in Spain in August with the figures of last year, we can clearly see that both the consumption of prescriptions as well as the average cost per prescription have grown more moderately now than a year ago, notes Farmaindustria.

Thus, the inter-annual growth rate of the number of prescriptions is currently almost a percentage point below its value of last year, and the rate of the average price per prescription is 0.6 percentage points less, which makes the growth rate of the public pharmaceutical expenditure in August 2009, 1.5 percentage points below the rate registered in August 2008.