Brazil is the eighth largest pharmaceutical market in terms of
revenue and Latin America's largest markets. The consumption of
drugs in the retail market represents about 70% of the
pharmaceutical industry. Over the past 4 years, there has been a
growth of 45% of drugs sold by pharmacies. According to statistics
reported by pharmaceutical market reports, sales in the
pharmaceutical market at the retail level in Brazil have jumped
from BRL28.7 billion (US$11.2 billion) in 2010 to BRL41.8 billion
in 2014 (US$13.5 billion). This represents an increase of 45.6%
during this period. In 2014, sales in the retail Brazilian market
grew by 11.4% over the BRL37.5 billion sold in 2013.
However, recently, the market has undergone some changes.
Originator drugs, which accounted for 44% of sales in value terms
in 2010, declined to 39% in 2014. In the interim, generics and
'similares' (branded copies of off-patent drugs) have
gained market share, climbing from 55% in 2010 to 61% in
