Zentiva: Analgesic market could reach 62m euros

The market of analgesics (pain relief drugs) increased by over 15% in the first half of this year, compared with the same period of last year, to 101 million RON (28.5 million euros). “Last year, the market grew by 30-33% in terms of value against 2004. During the first half of this year, the market slowed down somewhat in comparison to the figures in the same time last year, to an approximately 15-17% growth pace. What producers are doing is reposition their products,” stated Bogdan Balan, product manager CHC at Zentiva. He specified that, given that sales in the autumn-winter period are higher than in spring, the market might reach 220-230 million RON (62 million euros). There are approximately 80 products present on the analgesic market. About half the market is held by four or five brands. On Tuesday, Zentiva launched Ibalgin, an ibuprofen-based analgesic, onto the OTC (non-prescription drugs) market. “In Romania, ibuprofen accounts for a mere 10% of the pain relief drug market, while in the Czech Republic for example, it has a 47% share,” Balan said.