Generic competition market share of the most prescribed product

Note Weighted average calculated on the basis of the number of packages prescribed. It is not possible to distinguish between generic products marketed by different laboratories. 

Nevertheless, in England dominant positions at therapeutic substance level appear to subside when generic versions enter the market. If we could distinguish the market shares of each generic version, the statistics showing dominance at therapeutic substance level would diminish, especially in the case of certain therapeutic substances for which turnover is high. The data do not enable us to measure the impact of generic entry on the market share of the most prescribed product. 

Finally, Table 4.13 shows the number of different presentations of the same product in terms of pharmaceutical form, concentration of the therapeutic substance and size of package. The differences between countries are very small. Nevertheless, in England there appears to be a larger number of varieties per product. The weighted average of different preparations stands at two in Spain as opposed to three in England. However, these differences are not significant in terms of prescription concentration. 

The empirical evidence presented above enables us to draw two main conclusions first, competition in pharmaceutical markets is effective between therapeutically differentiated products whereas a small number of products enjoy positions of dominance over their closest therapeutic and generic rivals and second, competition in pharmaceutical markets depends enormously on national regulations. 

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Table 4.11 Generic competition market share of the most prescribed product (%)... 

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