Global drug sales rose 7 percent last year, to $643 billion, and in the US, the world’s largest market, sales jumped 8.3 percent, to $275 billion. The US growth was helped by Medicare Part D, more new generics and certain expensive drugs targeting cancer. The number of prescriptions dispensed to US patients rose 4.6 percent pace, compared with 3.2 percent in 2005, marking last year the third consecutive year of strong growth.

Looking ahead, IMS expects US prescription sales growth to decline in 2007, but remain in the range of 6 to 9 percent compounded annual growth through 2010 as the Medicare Part D benefit is annualized and more generics enter the market, driving the cost of prescriptions lower. Legislation, insurer pressure and biosimilars are expected to dampen the growth.

Unbranded generics were big in the US last year. Prescription volume grew by 13 percent. And sales rose 22 percent, thanks to sales of $911 million for Teva’s generic Zocor and $902 million for Apotex’s generic Plavix, which was a bit of a fluke, given the legal row.

Biotech sales, meanwhile, jumped 20 percent to $40.3 billion, led by Amgen’s Aranesp, which grew 42 percent to $3.9 billion. Among cancer treatments, Rituxan grew 18 percent to $2.1 billion, Avastin rose 79 percent to $1.7 billion and Herceptin increased 66 percent to $1.2 billion.

IMS US release;
IMS US charts;
IMS global press release;
IMS global charts.