Abstract
Sweden joined the European Union in 1994 and facilitated parallel imports of pharmaceuticals as from 1996. The introduction of a simplified authorisation procedure in 1996, combined with the possibility to practice generic substitution, which was later replaced by an obligation to dispense the product of the cheapest supplier (2002), triggered an impressive growth of parallel trade. Today, Sweden is one of the most important destination markets of parallel trade with revenues of SEK 2.1 bn (EUR 230m) at pharmacy purchasing prices. Parallel import penetration reached 9.3% in 2001 and has stabilized since. Average price advantages of 14.9% on parallel traded drugs lead to savings of 1.6% on the total drug bill for the time period between 2002 and the third quarter of 2004. In value terms, parallel imports of pharmaceuticals have generated savings of EUR 5.0 per capita in 2003, which is twelve times more than what parallel trade is generating in Norway.
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(2008). Parallel imports of pharmaceutical drugs into Sweden. In: Parallel Imports of Pharmaceuticals. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8589-7_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8589-7_4
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Basel
Print ISBN: 978-3-7643-8588-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-7643-8589-7
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