Poland. Generic Medicines Market

Poland has a mature generic medicines market with market shares that are among the highest among European countries. For instance, the market share of generic medicines by volume of 76.6% in Poland in 2006 exceeded the market share of 68.8% in Denmark, 57.5% in the United Kingdom, and 56.4% in Germany (Figure 1).

The evolution of generic medicines market shares in Poland over time (Figure 2) shows that the market share by volume slightly decreased over the 2004-2008 period, whereas the market share by value increased. There is continued interest in the generic medicines market shares in Poland in light of its aging population, the current financial and economic crisis, and the resulting need for cost-containment policies.

Figure 2 also indicates that the Polish generic medicines market is a high-volume, low-value market. This is exemplified by the gap in market share of generic medicines by volume and by value. The market share by value was 15%-20% lower than the market share by volume, indicating that generic medicines are considerably cheaper than originator medicines.

Figure 1. Market share of generic medicines by volume in Europe, 2006. Focusing on the total pharmaceutical market, the market share of generic medicines by volume was expressed in terms of the number of packages. Data were compiled by the European Generic Medicines Association on
the basis of country submissions

Figure 2. Market share of generic medicines in Poland, 2004-2008. Focusing on the total pharmaceutical market, market shares of generic medicines were expressed by volume (as measured by the number of packages) and by value (ie, the expenditure on generic medicines divided by total pharmaceutical expenditure) personal communication by Andrzej Cylwik (unpublished data). Rhombs indicate market shares by volume, while squares indicate market

share by value.