Actavis leads top 10 drug producers in Bulgaria

2010-02-04

In 2009, Actavis once again achieved the most substantial sales of any pharmaceutical manufacturer in Bulgaria, whereas Novartis overtook Sopharma to secure second place. Novartis’ performance was boosted by the growing sales of Sandoz, its generic branch.
The Bulgarian concern Sopharma saw a robust 12% year-on-year increase in both domestic and international sales, reaching BGN 190.6m (€97.5m). The company leads the field in terms of the sales of OTC drugs in the country and is a producer of Analgin, a best-selling medicine in Bulgaria.
Sanofi-Aventis slipped to 6^th position, from 4^th in 2008, because the sales of Zentiva, its generic branch, were not taken into account in the financial results of the parent company, which would have placed it among the top three companies. On the other hand, Roche, the manufacturer of Tamiflu, the highly popular flu drug, climbed from 6^th place in 2008 to 4^th place in 2009.
Sopharma Trading retained the foremost position among pharmaceutical wholesalers, with a 21.03% market share. According to PMR data, one of the five largest players in Bulgarian wholesale pharma market, not included in IMS ranking, was Commercial League with estimated 9% market share in 2008, but as the company’s sales remain undisclosed it is hard to assess its position in 2009.