China's pharmaceutical demand to grow 13.6% pa through 2010

Pharmaceutical demand in China will grow 13.6% annually through 2010, according to a new analysis from Freedonia. Western proprietary ethical drugs will grow the fastest, while western generic ethical medicines will remain the top segment. Drug stores will capture some revenues away from the dominant hospital market.

The Freedonia report analyzes the198.0 billion renminbi ($4.89 billion) Chinese pharmaceutical industry. It presents historical demand data (1995, 2000, 2005) and forecasts to 2010 and 2015 for western and traditional Chinese pharmaceuticals by therapeutic class (eg, anti-infective, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hormones, biologicals and vaccines, nutritionals, central nervous system, respiratory) and by market.

The study also considers market environment indicators, evaluates companies' market share and profiles 42 major industry players including Shanghai Pharmaceutical, Yangtze River Pharmaceutical, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, Pfizer, Nanjing Medical, and GSK China Investment.