The Emerging Markets of the East

Leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, and China, also known as the BRIC nations, met in Yekaterinburg, Russia, this past June at the first formal emerging economies summit. The group of nations is expected to surpass the current leading economies by 2050 (1), and the pharmaceutical industry is paying attention. IMS Health projects pharmaceutical sales in the so-called pharm-erging markets (the BRIC nations plus Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey) to grow collectively at 13–16% in 2009 and through 2013, according to April 2009 estimates. Meanwhile, the global pharmaceutical market is expected to grow by only 2.5–3.5% for 2009, and only 3–6% through 2013, with US pharmaceutical sales declining 1–2% this year.