The more modern life becomes, the more medicine people consume.

IMS Health, an American company specializing in providing information, services and technology in the healthcare sector, has just released a report on the picture of the global pharmaceutical industry in 2020.

Illustrative photo. (Source: Reuters/VNA)

According to IMS, along with criticism of the rising price trend of prescription drugs in the US, in the next 5 years, the cost of pharmaceuticals globally is expected to increase by 3-6%/year.

IMS estimates that global pharmaceutical spending will increase by about 30% from the current $1 trillion to $1.3 trillion by 2020, driven by expensive new drugs, rising prices, aging populations and increased use of generic drugs in developing countries.

IMS estimates that by 2020, global sales of drugs (patented prescription, generic, and non-prescription) are likely to reach $1.4 trillion.

This figure is estimated to increase by about 349 billion USD compared to 2015, nearly double the increase of 182 billion USD in the period from 2011 to 2015.

The $1.4 trillion spent on pharmaceuticals is a new record but not surprising, given that drug use and the prices of patented drugs tend to increase year after year.

Murray Aitken, a senior officer at IMS, said that four low- and middle-income countries, China, India, Brazil and Indonesia, with a combined population of more than 3 billion people, would consume nearly half of the additional medicines globally, but drug costs would not increase.

Simply because despite the increase in income, most people in these countries can only afford generic drugs. In addition, the lack of hospitals, doctors, medical equipment and trained staff will limit the use of expensive injectable drugs.

In developed countries, the revolution in research and development has produced drugs that have brought significant improvements in the care of patients with cancer, rare diseases, etc., but there are new drugs in the US with prices of over 100,000 USD.

This situation is coupled with the fact that some pharmaceutical companies have increased drug prices by up to 5,000% after acquiring older drugs and raising prices.

In the US, this situation has been criticized by patients, doctors, politicians, etc., and the US Congress has also repeatedly stepped in to investigate drug prices.

Drug use in developed countries is currently higher than in developing countries, but this gap will narrow as people in developing countries increasingly use cheaper generic drugs.

By 2020, more than 50% of the world's 7.6 billion people will use more than one medicine a day, up from 31% in 2005.

In the US, by 2020, generic drugs will account for 90% of prescription drugs, compared with 88% today.

IMS predicts that in the next 5 years, 225 new drugs will be licensed and put into use, mainly in developed countries. Some drugs will change the way some types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, hepatitis C are treated...

Along with new drugs, in the next 5 years, technology will have a huge impact in enhancing the ability to diagnose diseases, monitor health and help patients comply with treatment./.

According to VIETNAM+