Value share of generic pharmaceuticals market in Italy 2005-2021

The market value share of generic medications in Italy has increased over time. More specifically, it grew steadily between 2005 and 2014, rising from 3.4 percent to 8.4 percent. In 2015, the market share of generic drugs decreased to 7.6 percent, before increasing again and reaching nine percent in 2021.  

Market volume share of generic drugs

The total pharmaceutical market can be described in several ways. One way to structure it is to divide it into patent protected, branded products and unbranded products without patent protection. The latter category is known as generic drugs, which are a good way to make drugs more affordable and to keep down drug spending. In terms of volume of sales, the growth of generics in Italy was even more steady. In fact, the market volume share of generics constantly increased between 2012 and 2021, when it peaked at 28.4 percent.

Generic drug use by region

In the north of Italy people were much more likely to take generic drugs than in southern regions. In particular, the autonomous province of Trento was the region with the greatest share of prescribed generic drugs. Consequently, the share of generics on public pharmaceutical expenditure was more pronounced in the North than in the rest of Italy.

Find more key insights for the generics share of the total pharmaceutical market value in countries like France, Estonia, and Norway.