The Pharmaceutical Market: Slovakia (pdf/xls)

Additional Information

THE PHARMACEUTICAL MARKET: SLOVAKIA - REVIEW

Economic growth and health spending will remain steady in Slovakia. In per capita terms, Slovakia is the third richest country in Central & Eastern Europe. Although the economy contracted in 2009, it recovered well in 2010 and is expected to increase by an moderate figure per annum between 2012 and 2016. Total GDP is estimated to reach a figure similar to Estonia. Health expenditure is above the regional average, both in per capita terms and as a percentage of GDP. Health expenditure is expected to reach a figure similar to the Czech Republic.

Funding for healthcare is principally through the health insurance system. Health insurance companies collect contributions from the working population and reimburse healthcare providers. The government makes payments on behalf of those who are exempt, such as pensioners. The number of health insurance companies operating on the market fell to three in 2010 due to company mergers and departures that have largely resulted from an amendment to the Act on Health Insurers. The legislation forces all companies to channel their profits back into the healthcare system rather than pass them to shareholders. So far, three companies have taken legal action against the government in order to seek damages that have resulted from the legislation, and the European Commission is also investigating whether the law constitutes an unjustified restriction on the freedom of capital movements, which would be a breach of EU legislation.

The Slovak pharmaceutical market is the seventh largest in Central & Eastern Europe. The overall market is twice the size of Bulgaria; in per capita terms it is similar to the Czech Republic and it projected to become the second largest market in Central & Eastern Europe. Slovakia relies heavily on medicines produced outside the country; a high proportion of the market is supplied by imports. Cheap generics account for around a third of the market by value and are expected to retain this market share over the next few years. OTCs represent roughly a quarter of the pharmacy sector in value terms. The local biotechnology industry remains underdeveloped, due in part to limited state funding.

ENHANCED STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE

Espicom's highly regarded world pharmaceutical market reports have been redesigned to provide enhanced strategic intelligence in a user-friendly format. Each report provides in-depth information, setting the pharmaceutical market in context. The reports provide:

• Five-year projections for economic, demographic, health expenditure, health workforce and pharmaceutical market indicators.
• Specialised intelligence on OTCs, generics, biologics and biosimilars.
• Exclusive economic and demographic data from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for each market in the series.
• A separate statistical health file, comprising health expenditure, health infrastructure, health services and health personnel.
• The reports are updated quarterly, providing you with the latest information for a full year. In addition, the service will keep you up to date with market and industry news on a regular basis.

HEALTHCARE STATISTICS

A comprehensive tabula review, comprising demographics, epidemiology, health expenditure, hospital and primary care infrastructure & services and healthcare personnel, is additionally included.