Brazilian investments to combat generics

The pharmaceutical industry in Brazil invested a total of $633 millionin marketing and promotion to combat generic competition in 2000, equivalent to about 10% of the sector's sales for the year, says IMS Health data published in Gazeta Mercantil. Generics now account for 3% of the Brazilian pharmaceutical market, it adds.

Ache Laboratorio Farmaceutico spent $50.5 million on promotion last year, while Eli Lilly invested $9.5 million on marketing and promotion, and has a similar amount earmarked for this year. Novartis, which will launch 20 generics in Brazil before 2002 and plans to register 100 drugs, spent $29.4 million on marketing and promotion last year, the report adds.