Parallel Trade All Set To Get A Grip On The U.S Pharmaceutical Market

Parallel trade all set to get a grip on the U.S pharmaceutical market.

(PRWEB) August 12, 2007 -- Piribo, the online destination for business intelligence for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has now added a new report on the latest developments in parallel trade in the United States, and how it affects the pharmaceutical industry.

"Parallel Trade - US Lawmakers allow imported prescriptions drugs" forecasts that parallel trade is on the verge of moving from the EU into other global markets. The EU has long supported the practice claiming it is an important driving force for market integration where there are important differences in price between member states.

Parallel trade is a controversial topic in the pharmaceutical industry today, and has been a subject of much debate since it has both supporters and detractors. But does parallel trade diminish the quality and safety of drugs?

The report highlights how it is impossible to ascertain the origin of an imported drug through this system. This uncertainty, says the report, could lead to scenarios where consumers believe that imported drugs enter the US from Canada, UK or European countries, when in reality the source country for the drug is elsewhere. It also looks at issues surrounding the repackaging of drugs.

The study surveys whether developing countries perceive parallel trade as a benefit for cheap drugs and predicts how long this is perception is likely to continue. It also assesses how much pharmaceutical companies stand to lose this year from the practice. Analysts take into account how parallel trade is going to shape up as the US is seen as a favourable market, and that the EU is soon going to comprise 27 countries.

Authors note that pharmaceutical companies have long pinned the blame for huge losses in revenue, which in turn affects innovation, on parallel trade. The practice is also seen as the gateway for counterfeit drugs entering the supply chain, they say.

The report cites the recent removal of three batches of counterfeit drugs by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK. These were copies of Eli Lilly's antipsychotic drug, Zyprexa and Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol Myers Squibb's Plavix.

"Parallel Trade - US Lawmakers allow imported prescriptions drugs" addresses key question such as why pharmaceutical companies are not being protected by regulatory bodies, and how far companies can legally protect themselves. It looks at how price linking can help stall parallel trade without significant revenue drops. Primarily, the study outlines how parallel trade or reimportation affects the US and Canada.

"Parallel Trade - US Lawmakers allow imported prescriptions drugs" is available in pdf format from Piribo. For more information, go to: http://www.piribo.com/publications/prescription_drugs/parallel_trade.html

Piribo product ID: VIS056

About Piribo.
Piribo (http:www.piribo.com) is a UK-based independent online store supplying business information on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The website now carries over 6,000 English language titles including, market reports, studies and books and is the UK's largest online biopharma information store. Subscribers receive a free monthly newsletter and email alerts on new titles in their areas of interest. The company was established in 2004.

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