Depending on your viewpoint, generic drugs represent either the future of the global pharmaceutical industry or an irritating drain on the revenues of R&D based companies. The sector continues to grow in importance, fuelled by the twin pressures of therapeutically significant products coming off patent and health provider demands for lower prices. Analysts in industry and commerce must have a clear understanding of the threats and opportunities in key markets worldwide.

Generics market reports from Espicom Business Intelligence are produced by a multi-lingual editorial team with over 25 years pharmaceutical market experience. And when that experience is combined with one of the best healthcare market databases around, and informed by direct access to over 1200 companies and organisations worldwide, you have unbeatable, reliable, qualified and enriched market analysis. The Russian Federation forms the major part of the former USSR. Despite its vast size and large population, the country remains in a political and economic limbo; the old Soviet system has been comprehensively torn down, but serious and sustained market reforms have yet to take place. Russia's political system, public administration, tax system and legal framework all remain badly flawed, resulting in widespread corruption and inefficiency. Economic growth was never strong during the 1990s, with the crisis of 1998 severely denting the country's international credibility. Since 1998, the economy has performed better than expected, although this is more to do with high oil prices and currency movements than any sustained structural improvement.

Healthcare in Russia remains in a poor state. Public hospitals and polyclinics face severe funding shortages and a population in seemingly ever-poorer health. Relying heavily on imports, the 1998 economic crisis left Russia with severe drugs shortages. Prices doubled and imports fell. The pharmaceutical market is estimated to have lost more than half its value since 1997. There are, however, signs of improvement. Both domestic production and imports began to increase during 2000 and 2001, and a major reimbursement reform was begun in 2005. The market relies heavily on branded generics, a large proportion of which are imported.

This in-depth report provides a wide-ranging examination of the generic pharmaceuticals market, including the operating environment, current market size, future prospects and five-year market projections.