Value of pharmaceutical sales in Norway 2008-20189

The sales of pharmaceuticals in Norway reached the highest ever value in 2019, of almost 29 billion Norwegian kroner. The value was reached after sales increased almost annually since 2010. Prescription pharmaceuticals generated the highest turnover, of around 24.7 billion Norwegian kroner.

Generic pharmaceuticals in Norway

   On average, the market share of generic drugs in the Norwegian pharmaceutical market increased since 2001 and reached over 50 percent for the first time in 2018. A generic drug can enter the market when the patent of a previously patented drug has expired. They are copies of brand-name drugs and contain the same chemical substance.

Pharmaceutical companies

  The pharmaceutical market in Norway is dominated by major international companies with branches in Norway. The leading pharmaceutical company in Norway in 2019 Novartis Norge, with a market share of 5.9 percent, and was followed by Pfizer AS with 4.8 percent of the market. Novartis had the highest sales of pharmaceutical companies in Norway that year with around 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner.