Mexico - Which factors are increasing market opportunities in Mexico?

Pharmaceutical regulatory developments and market growth, particularly in the public sector, are attracting multinationals.

There are a number of regulatory developments that are currently transforming the market, particularly a draft to regulate biologic and biosimilar medicines, new guidelines to regulate antibiotics, regulatory developments for manufacturing, a new registration renewal process and regulatory developments for medical samples. The Federal National Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) also aims to increase its participation in international forums and is working closer with the EMA and FDA.

Pharmaceutical regulatory advances are making the market more attractive, in spite of containment factors such as tighter out-of-pocket pharmaceutical expenditure as unemployment has risen and economic conditions have toughened up; a number of key pharmaceutical and biologic products losing their patents in the next years; and an infant bioequivalent generic sector which is expected to shoot up from 2010 onwards. The market, however, will be encouraged by increasing sales in the public sector, particularly derived from further coverage by the Popular Insurance Programme (SP).

Further reading - An in-depth analysis of the Mexican pharmaceutical market is available from Espicom: The Pharmaceutical Market: Mexico (published May 2010)

Spain - How is the current economic environment affecting pharmaceutical sales?

The pharmaceutical industry is expected to overcome the economic crisis in 2011.

Spain is the fifth largest economy in the European Union. However, the economic downturn has affected the country seriously. It is one of largest developed economies expected to experience a negative growth in 2010. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) projects that the GDP will contract by 0.8% in 2010 and is only expected to experience modest real growth from 2011 onwards.

FARMAINDUSTRIA believes that more new pharmaceutical medicines will be entering the Spanish pharmaceutical market in the coming years, together with biologic medicines. The pharmaceutical industry expects to overcome the economic crisis in 2010, but this might be delayed until 2011 considering the current economic outlook.

The pharmacy sector is expected to increase at a lower rate than the hospital sector, but cost-containment policies will affect both sectors. By 2015, the Spanish pharmaceutical market could rank fourth in Western Europe, ahead of the UK. Almirall and Esteve are the best positioned local companies.

Further reading - A detailed review of the Spanish pharmaceutical market is available from Espicom: The Pharmaceutical Market: Spain (published April 2010)