IMS Health figures show OTC rise in France

The French Pharmaceutical Industry Association for Responsible Self-Medication (AFIPA) has welcomed figures, published by IMS Health, that reveal a rise in self-medication (over-the-counter medicines) for 2006 after a number of years of sales stagnation. Having fallen 3% in 2005 (Marketletter January 1 & 8), last year saw an 8.8% rise in sales value to 1.8 billion euros ($2.36 billion) and of 8.4% in volume to 406 million packages.

The French government's "de-reimbursement" process accounted for part of the growth in OTC sales. Eric Maillard, the AFIPA's president, told the on-line magazine Pharmaceutiques that, "for the first year, we are renewing growth thanks to strong brands and also the arrival of new products in the over-the-counter field via the de-reimbursement process of March 2006."

In France, the OTC market is characterized as "voluntary medical prescribed" (PMF), as opposed to "compulsory medical prescribed" (PMO), drugs. Physicians can prescribe PMF products despite the absence of a requirement for it: 68% of the OTC market in 2006 (out of 1.4 billion units) was actually supplied on prescription. The PMO market for the same period was 24.3 billion euros and 1.8 billion units sold.