BMI View: The expected growth of Belgium's ageing population is to have an unprecedented effect on the provision of healthcare. The elderly require more medical check-ups and care than young people due to the increased prevalence of chronic disease with age and therefore consume a disproportionately large share of healthcare services. The increase in healthcare spending on the ageing population will force public bodies to look for cost-containment in other areas - specifically medicines which command high proportions of healthcare budgets - which will not sit well with drugmakers.

Headline Expenditure Projections

Pharmaceuticals: EUR4.56bn (US$6.05bn) in 2010 to EUR4.48bn (US$6.41bn) in 2011; -1.8% in local currency terms and +5.9% in US dollar terms.
Healthcare: EUR35.75bn (US$47.42bn) in 2010 to EUR36.81bn (US$52.63bn) in 2011; +3.0% in local currency terms and +11.0% in US dollar terms.
Medical devices: EUR7.70bn (US$10.21bn) in 2010 to EUR8.20bn (US$11.73bn) in 2011; +6.5% in local currency terms and +14.9% in US dollar terms.

Business Environment Rating: Out of a maximum 100, Belgium scored 66.0 in BMI's Q411 Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Business Environment Ratings (BERs), placing it fifth in the Western Europe matrix. Although growth in medicine sales is low, the country has a very large market in absolute terms. Furthermore, per-capita spending is high, there is a sizeable pensionable population and regulations are transparent.

Key Trends & Developments

Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB registered EUR1.68bn (US$2.4bn) in revenues in H111 (ended June 30 2011), up 2% year-on-year (y-o-y). During the same period, the company posted a 34% y-o-y surge in net profit to EUR199mn (US$282.2mn). The company reported a 61% y-oy increase in combined H111 sales of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol), Vimpat (lacosamide) and Neupro (rotigotine) to EUR285mn (US$404.1mn), along with the strong performance of Keppra (levetiracetam) in the European and Japanese markets. The company expects to post revenues of about EUR3.1bn (US$4.4bn) in 2011.

BMI Economic View: The ongoing sovereign debt crises in the eurozone will have major political and geopolitical consequences for Europe, especially if the currency bloc fragments in some way. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the whole European 'project' is at stake. Even if the eurozone survives in its present form, the contradictions it exposes will lead to renewed economic problems, forcing European leaders to focus on internal issues rather than increasing the continent's global influence. French and Belgian sovereign creditworthiness is coming under increasing scrutiny and fiscal consolidation may be accelerated to pre-empt a ratings downgrade.

BMI Political View: A year on from the last parliamentary election, Belgium is still without a government, surpassing all previous European political impasses and displacing Iraq as the world record holder. Moreover, with the markets fairly sanguine for now and both of the main parties showing few signs of conceding on major policy priorities, a resolution still appears some way off. Indeed, given the length of time without a government and attempts by eight successive mediators to broker a deal, it is difficult to see a solution in the near term.

Executive Summary
SWOT Analysis
Belgium Pharmaceuticals And Healthcare Industry SWOT
Belgium Political SWOT
Belgium Economic SWOT
Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings
- Table: Western Europe Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings, Q411
Rewards
Risks
Belgium - Market Summary
Regulatory Regime
- Table: Applications* Received and Processed by the AFMPS/FAGG
Recent Regulatory Developments
Intellectual Property Environment
Pricing Regime
Price Cuts
Reimbursement Regime
Generic Medicines Sector
OTC Medicines Sector
Industry Trends And Developments
Epidemiology
Recent Public Health Developments
Healthcare Sector
Healthcare Financing
Healthcare Sector Developments
Medical Tourism
Research And Development Sector
Clinical Trials
Medical Device Market
Industry Forecast Scenario
Overall Market Forecast
- Table: Pharmaceutical Sales Indicators 2007-2015
Key Growth Factors - Industry
- Table: Health Expenditure Indicators 2007-2015
- Table: Government Health Expenditure Indicators 2007-2015
- Table: Private Health Expenditure Indicators 2007-2015
Key Growth Factors - Macroeconomic
- Table: Belgium - Economic Activity
Prescription Drug Market Forecast
- Table: Prescription Drug Sales Indicators 2007-2015
Patented Drug Market Forecast
- Table: Patented Drug Sales Indicators 2007-2015
Generic Drug Market Forecast
- Table: Generic Drug Sales Indicators 2007-2015
OTC Medicine Market Forecast
- Table: OTC Medicine Sales Indicators 2007-2015
Medical Device Market Forecast
- Table: Medical Device Sales Indicators 2007-2015
Pharmaceutical Trade Forecast
- Table: Pharmaceutical Imports & Exports Indicators 2007-2015
Other Healthcare Data Forecasts
Key Risks To BMI's Forecasts
Competitive Landscape
Pharmaceutical Industry
Recent Company Developments
Pharmaceutical Wholesale
Pharmaceutical Retail
Company Monitor
Leading Local Manufacturers
UCB Pharma
Solvay
Janssen Pharmaceutica
Omega Pharma
Galapagos
Leading Multinational Manufacturers
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Pfizer
Novartis
Sanofi
Merck & Co
Country Snapshot: Belgium Demographic Data
Section 1: Population
- Table: Demographic Indicators, 2005-2030
- Table: Rural/Urban Breakdown, 2005-2030
Section 2: Education And Healthcare
- Table: Education, 2002-2005
- Table: Vital Statistics, 2005-2030
Section 3: Labour Market And Spending Power
- Table: Employment Indicators, 2001-2006
- Table: Consumer Expenditure, 2000-2012 (US$)
- Table: Average Annual Wages, 2000-2012
Glossary
BMI Methodology
How We Generate Our Pharmaceutical Industry Forecasts
Pharmaceuticals Business Environment Ratings
Risk/Reward Ratings Methodology
Ratings Overview
- Table: Pharmaceutical Business Environment Indicators
Weighting
- Table: Weighting Of Components

Pharmaceutical Market Research

Belgium Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q4