Pfizer held five percent of the world's prescription drug market in 2019 and is predicted to forfeit 1.5 percent of the global market until 2026. The global market for prescribed medicines is expected to be led by U.S. company AbbVie, followed by Swiss pharma giants Roche and Novartis with identical market shares by 2026. In general, the pharmaceutical Rx market is expected to become more balanced with decreasing gaps between the companies.
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs
The total global prescription drug market – including generic and orphan drugs – was estimated at 900 billion U.S. dollars for 2020. Especially the orphan drug market is a major driver and expected to more than double its revenues in only seven years between 2019 and 2026. Prescribed (Rx) drugs are drugs which can be only obtained with a physician’s prescription. In contrast to these, there is the group of so called over-the-counter (OTC) drugs which can be purchased directly without a prescription. Typical examples for OTC drugs are lower-dosed pain killers like aspirin or ibuprofen.
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Evaluate. (July 30, 2021). Top 20 pharmaceutical companies worldwide based on prescription drug market share in 2019 and 2026* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/309425/prescription-drugs-market-shares-by-top-companies-globally/
Evaluate. "Top 20 pharmaceutical companies worldwide based on prescription drug market share in 2019 and 2026*." Chart. July 30, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/309425/prescription-drugs-market-shares-by-top-companies-globally/
Evaluate. (2021). Top 20 pharmaceutical companies worldwide based on prescription drug market share in 2019 and 2026*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 16, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/309425/prescription-drugs-market-shares-by-top-companies-globally/
Evaluate. "Top 20 Pharmaceutical Companies Worldwide Based on Prescription Drug Market Share in 2019 and 2026*." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Jul 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/309425/prescription-drugs-market-shares-by-top-companies-globally/
Evaluate, Top 20 pharmaceutical companies worldwide based on prescription drug market share in 2019 and 2026* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/309425/prescription-drugs-market-shares-by-top-companies-globally/ (last visited May 16, 2022)